Amai Masquerade Love
by Fail4Ninjas
Summary: You all know the same-old middle school tennis players,like the rookie,Echizen Ryoma.But the courts are just about to be heated up by two mysterious third year figures.Will they show some impressive tennis skills or pull the heartstrings of two regulars?
1. Prologue

**DISCLAIMER:** Fail4Ninjas is just a group of hilly billy girls out on the open road who are just bored enough to come up with a story based on Prince of Tennis. The person who really owns this manga/anime is Takeshi Konomi. [FlippinWonka: But this is MY masterpiece! -sulk-] [TheSpunky(Short)Alchemist: Yea I know it is... let's go play some tennis to relieve your stress, dear-y -pats her on the shoulder-] [2ManyShoez: Hey! Give us credit, too. Your stories take _so _long to edit :O] [GreenMamushi: Not to put a damper on things, but shaddup and let's get on with the SHOW! -dramatic arm wave-]

**Story Positions: **

FlippinWonka: Main Author

TheSpunky(Short)Alchemist: Main Typing-Editor, Uploader/Profile Manager, Co-Typer

2ManyShoez: Co-Typer, Co-Editor

GreenMamushi: Co-Typer, Co-Editor

**Characters (OCs):**

Echizen/Clark Emi

Personality: loud, eye-catching, does not give you respect until you have EARNED it

-blond hair left down

-emerald eyes

-Age: 14

-older one of the twins

Echizen/Clark Eri 

Personality: usually quiet on the outside, eye-catching

-black hair in a ponytail catching, loud if you get to know her real self

-pink/purple eyes

-Age: 14

-younger one of the twins

**Amai Masquerade Love**

**Prologue**

~two years ago, New York City~

"Get up, kid! Us pros are still teaching ya."

A little boy was crying in the corner of a tennis court. He was surrounded by three big tennis players. He held onto his tennis racket as if his life depended on it.

The little boy's body was all scratched and bruised up. His right cheek was swollen, both his knees were cut, and his arms were bloody. The boy's clothes were now completely red and covered in blood.

The three older boys just laughed at the sight of the crying boy.

"What's the matter little boy? Are you going to run home to your mommy now?" one of the boys just snickered.

"Hey boys! Are you good at tennis?" a blond-haired girl asked.

"Because if you are…" said a black-haired girl.

"Then could you teach us how to play?" a green-haired boy wearing a white cap asked with a grin.

The three boys turned around to see two girls and a boy staring at them.

"Sure, why not. We were just finished teaching this kid over here –points at crying boy- anyway."

"Thanks, guys! Can my sister and I play in doubles?" the black-haired girl said in a sarcastic tone, pointing to the blond-haired girl.

"Sure, sweetie, but if we win this match, you two will have to go on a date with us."

The blond-haired girl tensed up and made a disgusted face. "Are they hitting on us? One hundred years too early!" muttered the blond girl. The dark-haired girl smirked.

"Ryoma, go get the boy and get him out of here!" The green-haired boy nodded and slowly made his way to the corner where the boy was crouching and crying.

"So, you boys want to start this match yet?" said the black-haired girl eyeing the little boy who ran out of the courts.

The two girls then took out two rackets from a rather big-looking bag that the blond was carrying. Then, they went to the net where two of the boys were waiting for them.

"So… rough or smooth?"

- Five Minutes Later -

"Aww, I thought we could at least use our special moves," whined the blond girl.

"Now, now, onee-san. They didn't say they were strong…, but I must admit I am a little disappointed…" said the black-haired girl as they walked off the court with dissatisfied frowns.

On the court, you could see the two boys on the ground panting heavily. One of the boys was crying out in pain, clutching his right elbow. The other boy couldn't stand. His legs were trembling, and his body was bloody from all of the scratches and cuts.

"Hey, Ryoma! Your turn with that –points at the guy who was trying to get his friends to stand up- guy." The boy with the cap smirked and got his racket.

"No! Please stop! I lose! I don't want to have a match! Isn't it enough that they are hurt? Please let me off!" pleaded the last guy on his knees. The three decided to let him off.

"Hey, Ryoma. He was supposed to verse you in a match so you can decide," the blond said with a bored expression.

Ryoma looked down at the boy, who was begging, still kneeling on the floor.

-Sigh- "I don't care. Do whatever you want." Ryoma was not happy about letting the bully go, but he didn't want to play a pathetic person either.

The boy's face suddenly brightened up a little. He said many thank-you's at once, trying to get the other two to walk by themselves.

As soon as the three boys were nowhere to be seen, Ryoma smirked.

"So… Emi, Eri, you won six games to love in three minutes and forty-five seconds. Mada mada dane."

The two glowered at him as Ryoma grinned smugly at their reactions. He just loved upsetting his two older cousins.

**- The "Otaku Corner" -**

TheSpunky(Short)Alchemist: So I hope that all of you readers out there who are diligent enough to read this little "Otaku Corner" enjoyed the prologue we just up. Just to mention again if you hadn't already read it, FAIL4NINJAS DO NOT OWN PRINCE OF TENNIS IN ANY WAY!

[FlippinWonka: Except in our minds, we are otaku freaks who believe that we do ^-^]

TheSpunky(Short)Alchemist: -pushes her out of MY spotlight- Anyways, we all hope that you enjoy this little blurb of otaku-ness and continue reading and reviewing. Yes, I know that I just said **read and review** which most of us readers DON'T do. But now that we're all writers, we all feel the overpowering **HUNGER of REVIEWS**! So, please, help the needy and feed our undeniable craving.

[2ManyShoez: Don't feed GreenMamushi anything though because she'll just turn into the FatHulk. Hehehe... ^-^]

[GreenMamaushi: -shoves her into a prison cell to pulverize later- To move this topic further on, please note that a chapter of this story will be uploaded every week, most likely on weekends.]

[All of us: Thanks so much to our FABULOUS readers for their time and please look forward to the next chapter!]

P.S. The next "Otaku Corner" won't be as long next time. Sorry for the inconvenience! BTW, AT THE END OF THE NEXT FOUR UPLOADED CHAPTERS, ONE OF US WILL REVEAL THE ORIGIN OF OUR **FUNKY** NICKNAMES! So, stay tuned for our next chapter of OTAKU-NESS!


	2. Chapter 1: Emi at Hyotei

**DISCLAIMER:**

TheSpunky(Short)Alchemist: So, who owns Prince of Tennis?

FlippinWonka: Oh! I do! I do!

GreenMamushi: -slap- Takeshi Konomi does, baka!

2ManyShoez: Please ignore our little "situation" at the moment and turn your attention to Chapter One of Amai Masquerade Love!

**Amai Masquerade Love**

**Chapter One: Emi at Hyotei**

**Normal POV**

The last bell had just rung, signaling that classes were now over for the day at the prestigious Hyotei Gakuen. The first day of the new semester was coming to a close and the regulars of the tennis team were gathered in the clubroom, in the middle of a meeting.

"The regular positions will stay as they are, including Ootori, Hiyoshi, and Kabaji," said Sakaki-sensei. "As usual, Atobe will be buchou. You may now go and proceed with the tennis matches."

Atobe smiled smugly as the regulars stepped out of the clubroom to reveal _many_ fangirls. As soon as they spotted the tennis players, the fangirls started shrieking, "Atobe-sama~!" "Jirou-kun I made you a cake!" "Oshitari-kun, kyaa, look this way, please!"

_The walk from the clubroom to the courts would normally take less than a minute, but at this rate, it might take ten minutes…_ thought Shishido. _Che, this is so lame._

The fangirls were clawing at each other to get closer to the regulars. Near the front of the group were Atobe and Oshitari. Obviously, the two were basking in the attention directed at them.

"The girls have gotten even crazier than last year, right buchou?" chuckled Oshitari, as he winked at a group of fangirls, causing them to have nosebleeds and faint.

Ootori stood behind Shishido, trying to hide even though the second-year easily towered over his senpai. He blushed a light pink as the fangirls called his name. When they finally reached the courts after what seemed like half an hour, Atobe started the regulars off with a warm-up of 20 laps, 50 forehand swings, 50 backhand swings, and 20 push-ups.

As the regulars started running the laps, a blond, green-eyed stranger was watching the scene intently, smiling to herself, as she sat on a branch of a tree just outside the tennis courts.

-An Hour Later-

After the regulars had finished their last push-up, Atobe began the practice matches.

"Hiyoshi and Kabaji, Court A. Taki, go ref! Ootori-Oashitari and Shishido-Mukahi, Court B. Jirou, go ref! Ore-sama will observe."

The girls outside the courts started screaming in anticipation as Atobe finished what he was saying. On Court A, Hiyoshi's match with Kabaji had started with Hiyoshi serving. He looked as if he had trouble keeping the basic tennis stances. While Hiyoshi was struggling with the basic tennis movements, Kabaji kept putting power into his shots. Hiyoshi lost his service game just by Kabaji's return aces.

"Kabaji! There is no gekokujou for you here!" yelled Hiyoshi. His eyes had gained a new determination.

"Usu," Kabaji stated as he stared straight at Hiyoshi.

"Game, Kabaji! One game to love."

On Court B, Mukahi was sweating tremendously with Shishido panting heavily on the baseline.

"Dammit. Mukahi, we have to win this, or it will be gekidasa!"

On the other side of the court, Ootori and Oshitari were perfectly fine. They didn't even break a sweat yet. Ooshitari smirked as he watched his doubles partner.

"Come on, Gakuto. You can do better than this, can't you? If you lose now, you will never beat Seigaku's Kikumaru Eiji."

Oshitari grinned as Mukahi tensed up. Gakuto was so was easy to manipulate.

"Shishido-san, I'm going to serve now!" smiled Ootori.

"Ou! I'm ready!" Shishido seemed to have regained his composure after seeing his kouhai smile. (A/N: AND NO, THEY AREN'T GAY!)

"Okay, Ii…Kyou…Kon!"

"Kyaa! There it is! Ootori-kun's Scud Serve!" The fangirls were now screeching at the top of their lungs.

"Che, it got faster, but I can return it!"

As the ball bounced into the serving box, Shishido attempted a slice on the rapidly approaching ball. It bounced off of his racket before he fell back from the impact of Ootari's Scud Serve. As the ball went over to the other side of the net, Oshitari hit a lob.

"Yes, I got this!" Gakuto yelled as he did a Moonsault to smash the ball.

"NO! Gakuto, you idiot! Oshitari has the-…" It was too late. Oshitari had already used his Higuma Otoshi.

"Oi, Jirou! Aren't you going to call that?"

"It's no use, Shishido. Jirou won't wake up," Oshitari sighed while looking at Jirou, who was sleeping soundly on the ref chair. As the two matches progressed, the mysterious stranger climbed down from the branch she was sitting on. When she stepped off the tree, the sunlight hit her, giving her a warm feeling, as it shimmered down her cascading, gold locks of hair.

She stepped further away form the shade of the tree to the bright sunlight that welcomed her, while intently observing the practice matches from her spot. She wore casual clothes, but still seemed stunning in a natural way. A few of the fangirls whispered to each other as they spotted her.

"Is she from Hyotei?" That was the main question that was going around. She ignored the looks the other girls were giving her and continued to watch the practice matches with critique. Her initiative was to scout out the best player. Out of the six that were playing, Oshitari Yuushi looked like the best.

"Hmm…seems like Yuushi is the best, but then again, Jirou isn't even playing…" muttered the girl. Then, out of nowhere, some of the fangirls pushed her roughly to the ground.

"Oops, sorry about that," the girls snickered sarcastically. "You were in our way and we couldn't see." They smiled innocently at the girl on the floor and turned ck bto cheer on the tennis players.

"I didn't even talk to them and I'm already hated. Well, I guess I should get a better spot to watch anyways," the girl sighed while muttering to herself. She then pushed her way to the tree she was at earlier and looked up to see if it was high enough. _Perfect_, she thought.

She sprang up with a graceful but powerful leap. She jumped from branch to branch and climbed to the very top of the two-story high tree. When she reached the top, she took in a big breath of air and jumped to the fence that separated the tennis courts from the screaming fangirls.

"This is a good spot. I can see everyone very clearly." She nodded in satisfaction. _I guess I should ask Yuushi for a match now_, she thought.

She stood up on the pole of the fence, keeping her balance as she shouted, "Hey Yuushi! Have a match with me!"

As she said this, the regulars abruptly stopped what they were doing to see where the voice had come from. _Why does no one ever look up?_ She crouched on the pole and jumped. It was like watching a feather, as she gently landed on the ground, not making a sound. Unfortunately for her, the place where she landed was about five feet away in front of Atobe. She caught his attention instantly, including those of the fangirls and regulars.

At that moment, at least half of the fangirls snarled menacingly at her. Then again, the girl didn't really care. After brushing off the dust that had gotten on her clothes, she straightened up and started walking towards the regulars, who were gaping at the girl.

As she moved further away from Atobe, he was about to open his mouth and tell her to get off of his tennis courts. But as he was about to speak, he fell into a trance. She was the first person he had ever seen to do something so reckless, but then walk away so gracefully. She had an aura; he couldn't bring his voice out as she walked straight over to Court B.

"Hey Yuushi!" she yelled as she approached his court. The tensai was the first to recover from his state of shock and looked at the girl. The others were still staring at the spot she jumped to.

"Well if it isn't Emi-hime. If you were in Japan, you could have called me beforehand," the tensai added with a gentle smile on his face.

"Yeah, but I wanted to surprise you and Jirou. Speaking of Jirou…" she walked over to the ref chair where Jirou was _still _dozing off. "Jirou, if you are going to be ref, then you have to stay _awake_!" The way she said the last word made everyone shudder and Jirou blinked his eyes lazily.

Atobe fell out of his trance and stood with another shocked expression. _How had that girl been able to wake Jirou up when even Ore-sama couldn't?_ Atobe thought. Jirou opened his eyes, yawned, scratched his head, and looked at the girl with a bored expression. Then, as if something had clicked in Jirou's mind, he realized he recognized the girl standing next to his ref chair.

"EMI?" he jumped out of the ref chair and hugged the girl. "I didn't know you were back in Japan! I missed you so much! When did you come back?" Jirou was now fully awake as he kept jumping up and down, killing her with his death hug.

"Now, now, Jirou. We can't have Emi-hime dying while visiting Hyotei, but Emi-hime, when _did_ you come back? More importantly, why are you at Hyotei?" the tensai asked with a puzzled look as Jirou finally let go. The girl, who we now know as Emi, smiled at the two.

"Well, actually… to tell you the truth… uh… actually guys, can we talk somewhere a little bit more… private?"

The two boys looked around and finally noticed their surrounding. The fangirls had stopped screaming, and were now glowering at Emi with rage. The regulars had shocked faces and their mouths were wide open, staring at Emi, not believing that a girl could jump down from such a height.

"What is this ann? Is she one of your fangirls, Yuushi? Ore-sama doesn't like it when non-members go on Ore-sama's courts." said Atobe as he walked over to the three, finally snapping out of his trance.

Emi turned around to see where this voice was coming from. She saw a boy about her age walking toward her. _Wow. This guy is actually hotter than Yuushi_, thought Emi as he got closer to the group. As he walked, a chorus of "Atobe-sama~" and "King~!" erupted from the fangirl crowd. He then flipped his hair and flashed a flirtatious smile, which made half of the fangirls faint.

"Ooh… so he's a playboy jerk, huh?" Emi whispered to Jirou and Yuushi. They just chuckled quietly. Then, "Atobe-sama" finally picked up his pace and walked over to them.

"So, Yuushi, is she your fangirl or not?" Atobe asked. He looked at Emi and smirked condescendingly. _How dare he think that I was a fangirl? Plus, most of the girls are giving me killer glares!_ Her eye started to twitch out of anger.

"First of all, I am _not_ Yuushi's or anyone else's fangirl. Second of all, I just came here to have a match with the strongest player, and as far as I could tell, it was Yuushi." She then turned to face Yuushi. "So, basically that's it. Have a match with me?" She asked, her emerald eyes sparkling with hope.

"Of course I would love t-…"

"No, Ore-sama will not allow Yuushi to miss practice just to play with a weak fangirl," stated Atobe with an egocentric tone. Now, Emi was furious. _First, this idiot thought that she was a fangirl, and now he thought that she was weak? HE WILL DIE! _

"Then, _you_ have a match with me!" Emi declared as she pointed at Atobe. "Considering the fact that you were only standing around watching your teammates practice, instead of practicing yourself." Emi smirked as he started to twitch. First, _this girl interrupts practice, and now she dares to hurt Ore-sama's pride?_

"Very well. Ore-sama will accept your challenge, but first, Ore-sama's name is not 'you.' It is Atobe Keigo," he said with a smug grin, expecting her to gasp and apologize for being so rude to his Highness. Instead, she just stood there with the same bored expression.

"Nice to meet you, _Atobe._ Now let's just start this match. Yuushi, I will count on you to be ref and Jirou, don't fall asleep! I need you to tell me how much I have improved since last time."

"Okay, Emi~!" "Anything for you, Hime."

_How is this girl able to order these two around? They never listen to Ore-sama!_ thought Atobe.

"Wait," said Atobe. "Before we begin, tell me your name." Atobe was still in shock with this girl's actions and the respect that she was getting from Yuushi and Jirou. She also doesn't seem to care who Ore-sama is, heck she doesn't even give him an ounce of respect! _It might as well be worth it to know your name_, he thought.

Emi just smiled smugly as Atobe asked her to tell him her name. _Hmm… should I tell him? I bet this egocentric, so called "King" would figure out that I'm related to HIM if I answered truthfully_, she thought.

"All right, _Atobe,_ if you beat me in a match, I will give you the honor of knowing my name," she grinned as Atobe was burning with anger and frustration.

**- The "Otaku Corner" -**

TheSpunky(Short)Alchemist: As promised, Fail4Ninjas will reveal one of our members' nickname origin. Now, time to put the spotlight on FlippinWonka, the author of Amai Masquerade Love!

FlippinWonka: Hey guys! The way I came up with my nickname is from a Prince of Tennis regular you should all be familiar with after reading this chapter. His name is Mukahi Gakuto! 3 Anyways, I hated him before since I support the Kikumaru Eiji fanclub, but one day, I realized that he looks JUST LIKE WILLY WONKA... From then on, I was always crazy about the similarities and decided on the nickname, FlippinWonka, based on his acrobatic tennis skills and "Willy Wonka-ness."

GreenMamushi: And this is why I don't approve of her nickname: too random and _way _too obsessive...

2ManyShoez: -bows down to audience- Please look forward to our next chapter! Thanks to all of our supporters and contributors!


	3. Chapter 2: Eri at Rikkaidai

**DISCLAIMER:**

GreenMamushi: Has any one seen FlippinWonka? I need her to buy me more stuff...

TheSpunky(Short)Alchemist: FlippinWonka is inside her prison cell, being forced to write more chapters. -sadistic smile-

2ManyShoez: Well, because FlippinWonka is sort of starving in that walled-up hole, should I go give her some food?

TheSpunky(Short)Alchemist: Hahahaha...No. No. No. She needs to learn her lesson about making me work, edit, and manage the profile even though we are all dead tired. She watched me work, while was laughing, while reading manga. I AM TIRED!

FlippinWonka: We don't own Prince of Tennis, Takeshi Konomi does though. -starts crying- THEY LEFT ME TO GO EAT PERUVIAN FOOD!

**Amai Masquerade Love**

**Chapter 2: Eri at Rikkaidai**

**Normal POV**

_Sigh, why does it take one whole hour to get to Kanagawa from Tokyo, _a black-haired girl with purple eyes thought. A voice then projected through the speakers.

**"Next stop: Rikkaidai Fuzoku in fifteen minutes."**

_Another fifteen minutes until I can get to school, _she thought eagerly_, but I'm getting tired of being stared at. _

Why was she getting stared at? Well, to her left, you could find a boy with curly, black hair, wearing the Rikkaidai uniform and sleeping while leaning on her shoulder.

She had tried to wake the boy up many times before, but kept failing, so she had given up. Now, there were fifteen minutes left before they had to get off the train, and she had to wake him up somehow. Talking to him did not work, so she tried poking him, pinching his nose, messing up his hair; nothing worked!

She looked around to see of there was anyone that could help. Then, in the corner of her eye, she saw a brilliant flash of crimson. She turned her head around and saw a red-haired boy wearing a Rikkaidai uniform sitting a few seats away.

_Maybe he could help,_ thought the girl.

She then adjusted her whole body to one side, while supporting the black-haired boy with her left hand. Of course, she didn't think he was going to be that heavy. BIG MISTAKE. Her left hand wasn't enough to support the boy so he fell onto her lap and still slept soundly.

As the girl started to panic, the boy looked like he enjoyed his position of sleep much more. He moved his whole body around, STILL ASLEEP, so that he looked like a baby, cradling himself.

_He is so cute…_ she thought, _but I still need to wake him up._

"Excuse me," she tried to get the red-haired boy's attention.

He didn't notice her talking to him and continued looking straight ahead, oblivious to the girl's unfortunate predicament.

_Hmm, what would Emi do?_ Then, as soon as this thought crossed her mind, she got an idea… _I'm really sorry for this. Forgive me._

She took a deep breath, her eyes fixed on the red-haired boy.

"Yo, idiot with the freakish red hair! Would you mind lending a hand?" she yelled with her voice full of aggression.

The red-haired boy's face grew light pink. He turned his head to see where the rude voice had come from. He saw a girl with black hair in a ponytail with purple eyes staring at him.

"Ummm… Did you ju-,"

"I'M SORRY!" the girl exclaimed. "I just needed to get your attention!"

Her quick apology and suspicious honesty shocked him.

"Umm… It's okay I guess. So why did you need to get my attention?"

When the boy asked this, she began to blush a slight pink.

"Well, I was wondering if you knew him, and if you could wake him up."

"Him?" the redhead asked, oblivious to the boy on her lap.

"Yes, him," she said, pointing to the young boy, who looked very peaceful as his head rested on her lap.

"AKAYA?" The red haired boy shot up from his seat and ran over to the sleeping boy.

"So, I take it that you know him? Could you wake him up? We have to get off at the next stop in about five minutes."

"Uhh… Sure." He was officially confused. _Why was Akaya sleeping on her lap? More importantly, why did she let him sleep on her lap?_

He whispered into Akaya's ear. "Akaya, if you don't get up right now, Sanada-fuku-buchou will make you run 100 laps!"

As soon as the redhead said this, Akaya's eyes snapped open. His eyes were darting around with fear.

"I'm sorry fuku-buchou!" he blurted out, not looking around at his surroundings.

The girl chuckled at him. _He's so adorable!_ she thought.

"Excuse me," she said to Akaya, who was staring unblinkingly up at her face. "Now that you've awakened, can you please get off my lap?"

He blinked, trying to figure out where he was and what situation he was in.

By now, Marui was getting a little mad at Akaya. _Why didn't he quickly get off of her? I mean, she is my gir-… Wait a minute, what?_ Marui began blushing a deep, crimson red. Fortunately, the girl and Akaya didn't notice.

Akaya's face turned a bright pink. He jumped up from the girl's lap as fast as he could and sat straight up I his seat, trying not to look too embarrassed.

"I'm sorry! I didn't know! I usually fall asleep on the train, but I don't usually fall asleep on people's laps. I'm not saying I disliked sleeping on your lap! When I woke up, I though I was still asleep because you were so pretty…un…"

He stopped blabbering as he saw the girl was laughing. After a minute or so, the girl settled downed and smiled at Akaya. Marui, on the other hand, was trying hard to sustain his envy and jealousy.

"It's okay. I tried waking you p a few times, but you slept so soundly. Also, it wasn't that big of a deal. You are very cute." She said that with a glittering smile that made Akaya and Marui blush again.

"Well," Marui interrupted, trying to destroy the mood between his girl and the junior. "My name is Marui Bunta. This here is Kirihara Akaya. I'm a third year, and Akaya is a second year. I take it that you're new because I would definitely remember if I saw you." Marui blurted.

She giggled. "Okay, nice to meet you. Is it okay if I call you by your first names? I'm from the U.S. and I'm kind of used to it."

The two boys nodded in unison.

"Okay, so Bunta and Akaya. Is that okay with you?"

Akaya ferociously nodded his head several times; however, Bunta was only madly blushing from hearing her say his name.

"So, what's your na-…"

**"We have now arrived at the station. Please watch your step as you exit the vehicle."**

"Well, that's our stop. Let's go."

-After the Ride-

It was now 8:00 AM and the three had finally arrived at the school.

"Hey, so what's your name?" The two boys looked at the girl anxiously.

"My name is Eri." She smiled. "By the way, where are the tennis courts?"

The two looked at her with a confusing look.

"An old friend of mine told me to meet him there, and I'm still clueless about where everything is, so…"

"Oh, okay. We'll take you there. We were just heading to the courts ourselves," Akaya said.

"Yeah, we are actually two of the regulars on the Rikkaidai tennis team," Bunta added, proudly.

Eri's eyebrows rose in surprise.

"I see, so you guys are good at tennis? Hmm… Let's have a match sometime, okay?" She gave them an angelic smile.

"Sure, anything for you Eri." Bunta mumbled as he melted from the radiance of her smile.

"Uhh… Senpai. If we aren't at the courts in a minute, Sanada-fuku-buchou is going to give us 50 laps."

"I forgot! Eri, sorry, but mind if we run?"

"No problem."

The three started sprinting toward the tennis courts. Bunta and Akaya were neck to neck but Eri kept up right behind them. Bunta was shocked; not everyone could keep up with him, especially extraordinarily pretty girls such as her.

As they neared the tennis courts, they heard a voice up ahead.

"Yagyuu, Niou TARUNDORU!" Hearing the voice, Bunta and Akaya shuddered. Eri smiled. As they slowed down when nearing the courts, Eri saw the regulars in practice.

On the court, Sanada was yelling at Niou and Yagyuu. On the sidelines, Renji was jotting down notes and Jackal was sighing.

Bunta and Akaya just sweat-dropped at the scene. They quietly made their way into the boys' locker room, telling Eri to hide from Sanada.

When the boys left, she stopped smiling and began smirking as she made her way into the tennis courts. As soon as she opened the metal fence door, it made a scraping sound that caused Renji and Jackal turn her way. Jackal stared at the girl moving towards them from the steps. Renji opened his eyes and both stared at the girl in awe as she moved passed them and onto the courts where Sanada was still scolding Niou and Yagyuu.

By now, Akaya and Bunta had changed and was standing right outside the tennis courts. They were stunned to see that Eri had not waited for them, and instead strolled into the courts in plain view of Sanada's torture.

"Gen-cha~n." She said with a monotone voice. Sananda immediately stopped his scolding and froze in place when hearing her voice.

He knew that voice too well. Slowly turning his head around, Sanada saw Eri standing before him in disbelief.

"E-Eri, you're back from Japan?" he asked with a voice full of unexpected fear.

All of the regulars stared in shock. The stoic Sanada-fukubuchou was shaking. He was petrified.

"Ah~ don't worry. All questions will be answered in time, but before that, can I borrow Ma-chan? I need him to show me around."

Then, all of a sudden, an arm had draped around Eri's neck.

"Hey, Eri, of course I would love to show you around." It was Niou.

At this point, Marui and Akaya were standing on the sidelines with Renji and Jackal. Jackal was staring at the girl in shock, while Renji was busy taking notes with the occasional mumble of "Ii data."

Marui was about to tell Niou to get his hands of HIS girl, but was beaten by Akaya, who spoke first.

"That's not fair Eri-chan! Niou-senpai gets to miss practice? I want to skip too!" Akya whined.

"Oi, oi brat. Don't just call her Eri. She is your senpai, and shop whining." Niou said.

"Wait, so Eri-chan is a third year too? Marui asked.

Eri just nodded her head, and looked at the frozen Gen-chan.

"I guess Akaya is right. It wouldn't be fair if only Niou got to skip, so is it alright if I have a math with him? That would be enough practice; wouldn't you say Gen-chan? She smiled while saying Sanada's name and a chill went down his spine.

"Yes, that would be enough practice for Niou."

"Okay! Bunta, can I borrow your racket? Plus, I need you to be ref."

His eyes widened a bit. _She was going to play with a racket she wasn't used to, against Niou? He wasn't that easy to beat._

"Sure Eri-chan…" He walked over to Eri and gave her his racket. Then he sat on the ref. chair.

"Hey Eri, let's make this a bit more interesting. If I win let's go on a date tonight." Niou smirked as he said this.

Eri smirked back. "If I win, then you have to treated all your teammates, Emi, and me." She paused for a moment. "Also, I would rather go on a date with Bunta than you Ma-chan."

Marui started to blush again. _I've been blushing way too much today,_ he thought silently, as his faced turned so red that it matched his crimson hair.

**-The "Otaku Corner"-**

TheSpunky(Short)Alchemist: In this otaku corner, we will put the spotlight on one of our co-editors: GreenMamushi! Time to find out the origin of her nickname! -glares at prison cell to check on FlippinWonka-

GreenMamushi: Well...hi everyone. My name is GreenMamushi, and my bestie is FlippinWon-...oh...so this isn't an introduction? It's about the origin of my nickname? Oh okay then, hi everyone. Let's see, I like green which explains the green part in GreenMamushi. I also like mamushis which explains the mamushi part in GreenMamushi. I also adore Kaidoh Kaoru of Seigaku, so yeah. I'm also a ninja, and a simpleton. Now everyone shut up and let the audience continue reading.

2ManyShoez: MY FATHER (GreenMamushi) IS VERY MEAN AND ABUSIVE! HELP ME!

FlippinWonka: Well now that everyone had a chance to say at least one word, I'm going to crawl back to my prison cell. Please review and possibly favorite this story! It will get better because I'm writing it from a prison cell in isolation! THANK YOU! 3 -runs back to cell before being spotted-


	4. Chapter 3: Atobe vs Emi

**DISCLAIMER:**

TheSpunky(Short)Alchemist: So FlippinWonka is making progress with the story lately. Hmm, the prison cell method must be working. Maybe if we lessen her food supply and taunt her, she'll be desperate and write more for our audience. -goes off into secret laboratory-

2ManyShoez: Just for future reference guys, don't go ANYWHERE near that place... -shudders-

GreenMamushi: Hehehe, The IQ Test has more hits and views than this one even though there's only a prologue and chapter 1!

FlippinWonka: Wahhhh... Why is everyone picking on me? Fail4Ninjas do not own Prince of Tennis~

**Amai Masquerade Love**

**Chapter 3: Atobe vs. Emi**

**Atobe's POV**

Who was this girl? She had suddenly appeared on his courts, and actually had the nerve of disrupting practice! More importantly, she is not awed by ore-sama's beauty!

"Hey, almighty Atobe! Are you done thinking about yourself yet? I'm sort of getting tired of waiting." She turned around to talk to Jirou and Yuushi. "Yuushi, I need to borrow your racket! Oh, and Jirou, if you fall asleep or doze off even a little, I _will_ get mad." Jirou nodded as she said this. Yuushi chuckled and gave her his favorite racket.

Who exactly is this girl? She can boss around Jirou and Yuushi, and they _never _listen to ore-sama!

"I'll be right over there, my precious hime-sama." Ha, I'd like to see her resist ore-sama's amazing charms. No one can resist ore-sama.

Of course, all of the fan girls started weeping in jealousy. Why wouldn't they?

"Ew! Please do NOT call me your precious hime-sama. I'm fed up with Yuushi calling me that! I don't need an arrogant jerk to give me annoying pet names as well!" she screamed at me.

Ore-sama couldn't believe his ears! A girl had actually said no to ore-sama's charms! Is the world finally coming to an end?

**Normal POV**

All of the fan girls stood shocked by the girl's actions. She had the nerve to yell at their Atobe-sama? They gave her death glares and threats.

On the other hand, the regulars were enjoying this scene very much. Gakuto was rolling on the floor laughing, clutching his stomach while gasping for air; Yuushi was chuckling to himself; Jirou was smiling; Hiyoshi was grinning; Ootori was blushing, and Shishido was laughing.

"Hahahaha, Atobe got rejected!" cried Gakuto.

"Atobe-buchou got gekokujoued by a girl."

"Aaahh, Atobe gekidasa! (He walked over to where Emi was standing, with a look of disgust plastered on her face.) Hey, you're pretty cool… for a girl I mean," said Shishido.

Emi then turned to face Shishido with a look of amusement on her face.

"Haha. Thanks, and you aren't so bad at doubles… for a boy I mean," she smirked.

Shishido then smiled (YES, SMILED) at the girl. "I'm Shishido Ryou." He extended his hand.

Emi took his hand and shook it. "Nice to meet you, and you'll find out who I am if your buchou returns from his little frozen state and beats me."

At this comment, Atobe snapped out of his state. "Kabaji, give me my racket! And you," he pointed a finger at Emi. "You will lose, and be awed by my prowess." Kabaji handed him his racket, and Atobe stalked over to Court A where the game would take place.

"Well, looks like the pompous king got his act back together. You better watch this, Shishido. You get to watch first-hand as your buchou gets crushed by a girl." She flashed a mischievous smile and walked to the net where Atobe was waiting.

"So Mr. Jerk-face, rough or smooth?"

**Normal POV**

"Game to Atobe! Five games to love! Change courts."

On Court A, one could see the match between Emi and Atobe progress. Anyone could tell that Atobe was taking this very seriously and wanted to pulverize Emi.

"Where did the big talking, loud-mouthed girl go ann?" Atobe said sarcastically.

From what he could see, Emi was just a weak girl who didn't have nearly enough strength or stamina for playing tennis. The first five games passed by quickly with just his service aces and return aces. He wasn't the least bit tired.

On the other side of the court, Emi was sweating a lot, and her hand was bleeding from a time she slid on the court to try and get a ball. She looked miserable, but sometimes, Atobe's insight could pick up a small bit of a glint lighting up in her eyes. He dismissed this quickly; absolutely no one could fake playing this badly.

As they walked over to their benches to get a drink before switching courts, Jirou went to talk to Emi.

"Ne ne~ Emi~. I know you have a habit of waiting for match point and all, but aren't your tricks getting a bit out of hand?" he asked in a hushed tone.

Emi chuckled. "It's okay, Jirou. I will win this, but I'm just building up his ego a little bit more before I crush it."

"Okiee~. Just making sure his mental damage isn't that bad. We need him as our buchou."

Emi smirked. "So, should I play for real now then? Although, the damage won't be as effective."

"Nah~. I would give anything for Atobe to admit defeat," Jirou added cheerfully, "but stop pouring water on yourself to make it look like your sweating, okay?"

"Okay fine, I'll stop my act, but I won't play seriously until match point."

"Deal," he changed his hushed voice to a loud one. "You can do it. Good luck!"

She smiled at Jirou before making her way to the baseline. It was her turn to serve.

"Are you ready to lose to ore-sama, my precious hime-sama?" He watched her twitch, but to his surprise, she made no comebacks. She just started bouncing the ball.

Then, she served. It was a normal serve, which he returned with a return ace. This happened three times in a row.

"Match point, Atobe!" _This is where things get interesting, _thought Yuushi.

"Emi~! Don't kill Atobe!" Jirou said.

Atobe looked confused. _Don't kill ore-sama? Did Jirou not see he was winning?_ he thought silently.

"Well, because Jirou is pleading for your life, I'm going to give you an easy serve."

She then tossed the ball high up in the air. It was hardly visible as the sun's rays swallowed the ball up. Emi then closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and hit the ball with a lot of power.

"15-Love!"

Atobe stood there, looking very shocked at what just happened. That girl had hit the hardest serves he had ever seen. His insight couldn't even see the ball just now! Could she have been hiding her true potential all this time?

She grinned at Atobe. "How did you like my bone serve? I wouldn't directly hit it if you know what's best for you." She giggled.

Now, Atobe was infuriated! This girl had actually tricked him!

"I'm going to serve a little faster now!" She then threw the ball high into the air, and hit it with more power than before. The ball whizzed past Atobe for three more turns, earning her a game.

"Game to Emi. Five games to One."

On the sidelines, Shishido, Ootori, and Jirou were talking about Emi's serve.

"Choutarou, I think that serve of hers is the same speed as your scud serve!"

"No, Shishido-san, I think it might be faster."

"Wo~~w! Emi's bone serve! I hadn't seen it in a while. Oh and Ryou, Emi's bone serve goes _way_ faster than Ootori's scud serve. She's hitting it slowly right now for warm-up," Jirou happily said.

Shishido and Ootori blinked in amazement.

"Hey jerk! I'm catching up." She grinned.

Atobe gritted his teeth. "It's okay, Atobe. Keep calm. This girl has many weaknesses. You can still win this. After all, you still have your insight."

He served the ball. He put a lot of spin on the ball, so that she would hit a lob.

Emi was watching his movements very carefully. _He probably wants me to lob it_, she thought.

As the spinning ball came toward her, she hit the ball, adding a stronger spin on the ball. This made Atobe's spin cancel out, and the ball to go straight. It hit smack in the middle, but Atobe wasn't expecting that, and couldn't get to it on time.

"Love-15!"

Atobe served the ball again, this time not adding spin, but power. "So, he thinks he can outdo me in strength?" she thought as she observed.

Then, she quickly hit the ball back and had begun a rally with him. "This is what ore-sama was aiming for! Her stamina would not be able to last very long," Atobe triumphantly thought.

"He thinks he can win against me in stamina. That stupid, ignorant boy. I guess it's best to start using my insight as well."

They continued the rally for about another five minutes. She then saw it: his Achilles' heel.

"There!" She yelled as she hit a powerful forehand that hit Atobe's ankle.

"Love-30!"

He started to tremble in pain. "How did she know that this is my weak spot?"

"Hey, oh great Atobe. If you hadn't figured it out yet, I'll tell you that I have insight as well. Your ice world cannot imprison me," she teased.

Atobe's jaw dropped. "This girl could use ore-sama's insight as well?" The match then progressed quickly again, with Emi taking complete control.

"Game to Emi! Six games to five."

Everyone was in complete shock. How had this girl caught up to Atobe? Atobe is the best in Hyotei! He is the king!

"Hey, Jirou! Who _is _this girl?" Atobe barked from the courts.

Jirou's eyes had begun to shine dramatically when watching the match.

"Hey, you cocky idiot! Stop asking Jirou about me! You could just say so directly if you were awed by my beauty!" She copied Atobe's hair flip as she said this.

All the regulars erupted in laughter. That was the best impression of Atobe any of them had ever seen.

"Emi-hime, I love all of your comments, but could you commence with the match? Knowing you, you must have some plans with Eri later," said Yuushi while chuckling.

"Okay, Yuushi. How did you know I had plans with Eri? She called me earlier and invited me to dinner. What time is it?"

"It is 4:30 p.m. right now Emi-hime."

Her face changed from amusement to panic. "Are you serious? I have to meet her in Harajuku at six! Augh, she's gonna kill me!" –She turned to look at Atobe- "Sorry, jerk, but I have to get serious now," she said with a grimace.

Atobe was furious at her. She dared to mimic him. Now, she was telling him that she hadn't been playing seriously? He had been more serious playing her than he had been against Tezuka!

"Hey! Stop thinking about yourself and serve already! I don't have time!"

Atobe glared at her. "I'm not going to be responsible for whatever happens to your wrist." He served and added extra spin to the ball.

"Oh, he wants me to lob it?" She thought, _Maybe he'll show me something_. So, she then lobbed the ball.

On the other side, Atobe jumped up. "This is hametsu e no rondo! Be awed by my prowess!" He then smashed the ball to her wrist. The force of the ball caused her to let go of the racket that was in her right hand.

She twitched at the pain. "I see, the first smash blows the racket off, and the second smash takes the point."

Then, Atobe flew up again for the second smash. "This is ore-sama's win!" He then smashed the ball with all of his strength. Emi smiled. As the ball whirled toward her, she stepped back and picked up her racket with her left hand. She hit a backhand with her left hand, causing the ball to go straight into the other court. Atobe was not expecting this and was barely able to return the ball. He hit a lob.

"Hehe. It's my turn!" She then leapt into the air, and did a flip. "This is my blaze smash!" She put both hands on the grip of her racket and hit the ball with 30% of her power.

As the ball hit the ground, it made a very dark mark before it bounced back up through Atobe's feet. "Aww… I guess 30% of my power wasn't enough to make an indent," she whined.

"Love-5! Emi-hime, when did you learn that? You didn't show it to me the last time you were here," said Yuushi.

"Ama~zing! Emi~ that was so cool!" shouted Jirou.

Emi grinned. "It's new." Then, she paused and looked at Atobe, "Sorry, but I need to end this soon. So snap out of it and serve!"

**Atobe POV**

She deflected my hametsu e no rondo. My strongest move was deflected. Ore-sama can't win… NO! Ore-sama cannot lose. Not here, not now. Ore-sama will find her weakness and win! I put my hand to my face and started searching. Everyone has a weakness! Ore-sama just has to find it. Now where is it? …

**Normal POV**

He served. His plan was to have a rally with her until she tripped up and revealed her weakness. He smirked. _Ore-sama is still magnificent. Ore-sama will not lose!_

**Emi POV**

Augh! I thought I told him that I don't have any time. He probably wants to have a long rally with me just to see if I have a weakness. I guess I'll just make this quick. I watched his movements for about a minute. "There!" I hit a cross at the same time when Atobe thought I was going to hit a straight.

"Love-30!"

Atobe's face had started to look panicked. _Oh? Looks like I'm finally breaking his ego_. He served with a lot of power and spin. _Oh, so he wants me to lob it again._ Sorry, but I really don't have time. I hit a drop shot. Atobe's eyes widened as he realized what is was. He ran to the net to try and get the ball; it was too late. He had just reached it when it touched the ground. When it reached the court, the ball suddenly picked up speed and bounced a few times before going out.

"Summer monsoon." Oh, how I wish I had a camera! I would love to take a picture of his face and send it to Eri. Aah~ that would have been great blackmail~

"Love-40. Emi match point."

The fan girls who had kept quiet until now started booing. I just ignored it. It's not my fault that their precious "Atobe-sama" was about to lose. The regulars were all intently watching us.

"Atobe-buchou is about to be gekokujoued."

"Hahaha. First, he got rejected by her; now, he's going to lose a match against her!" Gakuto started laughing.

"Gekidasa Atobe! Well, I probably would have lost against her, too." Shishido whispered the last part.

As his teammates started talking, Atobe started to look insecure. I almost felt bad for him…_ almost_

"Well, this is where I win, so will you serve?" I asked him with an angelic tone.

"Ore-sama will not lose!" he shouted. Oh dear, the king has lost his temper. I snickered.

He served. It looked like he put everything he had left into that last serve, but still not enough! I added a bit of spin to the ball as I returned the ball. Atobe was not prepared for that and accidentally hit a lob. I chuckled. _I am so going to kill that King's pride._

"Atobe~! Emi is going to hit her blaze smash! Be ready~!" said Jirou from the sidelines with a glittering expression.

"Hehe~. Sorry, Jirou, but you are wrong." I leapt into the air and got ready to smash it. "Sorry jerk, but I need your ego to break!" I smashed the ball, aiming at Atobe's wrist. The force of the ball sent his racket flying, and Atobe stumbled. I grinned.

"Oi! It's Atobe's…" Shishido began to say.

I grinned as I leapt into the air for the second time.

"Hametsu e no rondo!" I then smashed it to the baseline. Of course, Atobe was too shocked to move.

"Game and match Emi. Seven games to five." I saw Atobe fall to his knees and pant heavily. This must be his first defeat since who-knows-when.

"Well, I'm going to leave. That was a good match, _Atobe._" As I started to exit the tennis courts, Atobe started to say something.

"You… what is… your name?" He lifted his face, and I could see it was full of anger, confusion, and despair.

I smiled. Well, he did better than I expected, so I guess I can give him a hint. I walked over to where the regulars were looking at me with shock and respect.

"I'll return this later, Shishido-san." I took his hat and walked back to where Atobe was lying.

"Here's your hint," I said as I put on the cap, crouched down to his level, and tipped it so he couldn't see my eyes. "Mada mada dane, Monkey King."

**- The "Otaku Corner"- **

FlippinWonka: So I ended it at a cliffhanger as revenge for my captivity. The readers will be so hungry for more and mob Fail4Ninjas. Then, TheSpunky(Short)Alchemist might give me more food to work faster! -glints in eye-

TheSpunky(Short)Alchemist: Like that's ever gonna happen. I would just limit your food supply even more. MUAHAHAHA! -composes oneself again-Now, let's move on to the nickname origin of our co-editor and co-typer - 2ManyShoez!

2ManyShoez: So I came up with my nickname because of my sister's previous obsession on shoes. She went on a shoe purchasing rampage and basically cleaned out all of the shoe stores she went into. Now, right next to my front door is a gigantic pile of shoes that cause any visitors to trip and fall when the step in to my house. Oh well, at least I don't ahve to go out and buy shoes of my own!

GreenMamushi: So that's why my mom got such an ugly pair of shoes for me. They were in storage and apparently, they were too ugly for 2ManyShoez's sister! Great, now I'm stuck with these shoes until they're ruined. -runs to the nearest pavement and rubs shoes all over the ground- Just a few more months at this and I'll be able to get a new pair of shoes! YESSS!


	5. Chapter 4: Eri vs Niou

**DISCLAIMER:**

TheSpunky(Short)Alchemist: We have a special guest today!

Theresa: Hi everyone! I'm alphaprincess0803, also known as Theresa, and I'm Fail4Ninjas' BEST FRIEND! At least, I think I am…

2ManyShoez: If you weren't our best friend, would you be editing this chapter for us?

Theresa: OH YEAH! Right, okay!

TheSpunky(Short)Alchemist: Well, getting back to business…-bows down low to our readers- I am deeply sorry for not updating this story according to our schedule. It has been a long wait for our readers and Fail4Ninjas has been separated by the end of the school year. FlippinWonka is currently in Japan visiting her family and sadly, the rest of us are rotting in boredom, slowly waiting for our Japanese souvenirs.

GreenMamushi: Aw cut the crap shortie! You're making it sound like we're at a funeral or something. I just saw you two days ago and you weren't even depressed. Stupid FlippinWonka, leaving us and not answering our emails or texts or calls.

2ManyShoez: We were supposed to play tennis together… Urgh…

Three of us: **YOU'RE GONNA GET IT WHEN YOU GET BACK, FLIPPINWONKA! :D**

FlippinWonka: -currently in Japan- *sneezes* I have a bad feeling all of a sudden…

GreenMamushi: And you should, FlippinWonka. Ditching your friends like that… Looks like this disclaimer is over!

Theresa: AHEM! Before you end this disclaimer, you actually have to STATE the disclaimer!

TheSpunky(Short)Alchemist: Oh yeah… Oops.

Theresa: -sighs- I'll do it. –clears throat loudly- Fail4Ninjas does NOT own Prince of Tennis, nor will they ever own it. All they own is Emi, Eri, and this plot.

Amai Masquerade Love

**Chapter 4: Eri vs. Niou**

**Marui POV**

_Is Eri really going to be alright?_ I wondered nervously. _I mean, she's facing Niou with someone else's racket, too!_ _What if he hurts her? I will kill Niou if he dares to hurt her! She is my girl and I don't want to see her in pain!_

Wait, _my girl_? Where the heck did _that_ thought come from? We aren't even dating! I sighed as I realized that my stupid teenage hormones were probably acting up in front of this girl.

Then Sanada came up to me.

"Marui, if you're worried about Eri, then tarundoru. Eri will not lose. I have never seen her lose," he said confidently. Sanada then walked to Eri. "Don't do anything unnecessary," I heard him say. "Just finish the match in about five minutes, take Niou, and leave."

I watched as Eri smirked. "No problem, Gen-chan."

**Normal POV**

Eri walked to the net where Niou was waiting.

"You better be ready Ma-chan. Emi eats a lot, and I'm kind of hungry right now."

"Awww… Eri~, can't I just take everyone to Karaoke? I'll just pay for food there!" Niou said while mimicking Akaya's whine.

Eri froze, narrowing her eyes as she realized his tactic. Sighing, she said, "Of course you know I'm weak to Akaya's cuteness, but unfortunately for you, Ma-chan isn't Akaya." She smiled then.

"Okay, I'll let you." Eri said. At Niou's excited expression, she wagged her finger and continued, "Only if you show me your meteor drive, Ma-chan! Oh, and you serve first. I need to look for my classroom so hurry it up," Eri pointed out, walking to the service line.

"Sure, babe," said Niou. Eri whipped around and shot an icy glare at him. "Oh come on! That Oshitari from Hyotei calls you and Emi, 'hime-sama'. I get to give you pet names too!" Niou looked at her with a mischievous glint in his eyes. He knew that Eri was a sucker to the guilt card.

"Still doesn't give you the right to address me like we're a couple…" she muttered indignantly under her breath. Niou only grinned at her. "Just serve!" Eri commanded half-heartedly.

"Yes, ma'am!" Niou was enjoying this. He threw the ball into the air and began the game. It was soon apparent that Niou's level did not quite match Eri's.

"Game to Eri. Five games to one!"

"Hey, Niou! Is it okay if I serve? I want to show you my new one!" Eri exclaimed, eyes sparkling. She didn't seem to notice the state her opponent was in.

Niou was sweating profusely and panting. He was clutching his knees, which were trembling badly.

He lifted his face. His eyes were wild and did not focus on any particular object.

"Sure, sweetie! Thanks for letting me keep my hearing." He attempted to show her a grateful smile, but it didn't come out very well.

On the sidelines, the spectators watched the match with reluctant looks. Yagyuu had taken off his glasses; it was too painful for him to watch his doubles partner in this state, so he turned to look away. Renji, unlike Yagyuu, barely blinked and furiously took notes. Jackal had his mouth fully open and Sanada was wearing a grim expression on his usual, serious face. Marui was trying to keep focused on the match, but tears kept welling up in his eyes making it hard for him to concentrate.

"Stop! Eri, that is enough practice for Niou. We need him to be alive since he is a very valuable member of the team." The ominous voice belonged to Sanada.

Eri got up from her serving position and took a look around. She blinked a few times and dropped her racket. She gasped.

"Now babe, I know how much you like tricks, but pretending to be surprised?" Eri scowled slightly at the 'endearment', but quickly recovered and flashed her famous smirk.

"Well, my yips tennis only lasts for about twenty minutes. I knew you would snap out of it about now, but yeah, I guess we should stop." Eri spoke with a solemn expression.

"Sure. Eri, let's go now! I'm hungry!" he whined. Eri sighed at his antics and nodded. Niou beamed smugly as he dragged Eri off by the hand. "Bye guys."

Everyone stared at the two of them, and Sanada rolled his eyes.

"EVERYONE, TANUNDORU!"

"Wait! Sanada-fukubuchou! Something is wrong with Marui!" Akaya shouted while looking at the boy in the ref chair.

Marui was frozen. His whole body felt numb as he watched Niou and Eri run into the school building, while holding hands. Plus, Niou had directed a "ha ha, too bad for you" grin at him just before they ran off together.

Marui felt a mix of envy and anger. Jealousy, that was the word. He was jealous that Niou got to hold her hand, but he couldn't strangle Niou. After all, he _was_ an important part of the team.

He had been gripping the ref chair so hard that his knuckles turned white from the tension.

"Okay, that's enough practice! Change up, and Marui, stop hurting yourself!" Sanada yelled.

Today was _not_ Marui's day. First, he found out that though Eri was his class, she sat next to Niou. As if that weren't bad enough, he found out that in the only other class he shared with Eri, they sat in opposite ends of the classroom. To make _that_ even worse, she sat next to Sanada!

Murdering Sanada was out of the question, but Marui was wavering on killing Niou. With such jealousy raging through him, it would have been easy enough.

It was the last class of the day, and of course, it had to be homeroom. That meant no Eri for an entire hour! Marui suddenly realized that he became extremely irritated every time he couldn't be with Eri, and that he got even more frustrated and aggravated when Niou was with Eri.

He groaned, rubbing his face in with hands in frustration.

"What's wrong, Marui? You don't seem like yourself at all!" The voice came from his doubles partner, Jackal. "You're usually upbeat, and you're not chewing gum!"

"AUGH! Jackal –come here- , can you keep a secret?"

Jackal nodded. "Well…" He poured out all of his feelings and what he had felt whenever he saw Eri with other people, namely, guys –especially Niou-.

Jackal's eyes widened. "Well, Marui. It seems you have started to li-…"

He had been cut off by a shadow that loomed over Marui and Jackal.

"Hi Bunta, and, uh… What was your name again?" It was Eri.

"It's Jackal."

"Oh, hi. Well, because I sort of won the match the other day, Ma-chan is taking us all out for Karaoke! So meet us at the Harayuku Karaoke store at 6:30 P.M., okay? I'm going to bring a special guest, so don't be surprised to see him coming with us! Bye, guys!" She turned and walked out of the classroom while humming a catchy tune.

Marui then looked at Jackal. "So, what were you saying?"

Jackal looked at his doubles partner one more time before sighing. "You have _definitely_ started to like Eri-chan!"

It was exactly 6:30 P.M. and all of the tennis regulars were waiting outside of the Karaoke store. Eri and her guest came late.

"Sorry guys!" The tennis team turned around to see a blond girl.

"Aww, Ma-chan, Gen-chan! I've missed you guys!" Then she turned to the other members. "Hi, my name is Emi by the way and I'm Eri's twin sister."

The regulars just stood there and stared at the girl.

"Um, hi. My name is Kirihara Akaya, and I'm a second year, and uhh… What?"

Emi continued to stare at the boy. "Oh my gosh, you are SO cute!" She jumped up and glomped the second year. Akaya began blushing. "Can I call you Akaya-chan?"

"Uhhh… Sure…" He stared squirming.

"Okay!" Emi's eyes were glittering with delight.

"My name is Marui Bunta. I'm a third year, and Eri calls me Bunta so you can call me that, too." He smiled politely at her. _Leave a good impression_. She eagerly smiled back.

"My name is Jackal. I'm from Brazil, and I'm a third year as well."

"Good day to you. My name is Yagyuu Hiroshi." He bent down and kissed Emi's hand. "I'm also a third year."

A normal girl would blush if a guy like Yagyuu introduced himself like so, but Emi acted as if Hiroshi only said a polite hello.

"Oh, so you are the gentleman, or is this another trick? I've heard that you're Ma-chan's doubles partner. That means trouble." Emi smirked as Yagyuu smiled back.

"Finally, I'm Yanagi Renji. I'm a third year also, and I'm known as the data master. But I must ask, do you play tennis as well?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact, I do." She grinned as he started muttering and writing down detailed notes.

"Okay, so Eri and I are from the U.S., and we're used to calling people by their first names so is that okay if I do that with all of you?"

It was a unanimous nod from everyone.

"Okay, so Gen-chan, Ma-chan, Akaya-chan, Bunta, Jackal, Renji, and Hiroshi. Is that everyone on the team?"

"No, our buchou is currently in the hospital," Jackal said.

"Oh, yes, Seiichi-san. I visited him earlier at the hospital."

"Oh? Hey, you don't give respect to anyone! Let me guess; he beat you in tennis, didn't he?" Niou stuck out his tongue as Emi glared murderously back at him.

"Yes, Seiichi-san is the only one apart from Eri to have beaten me."

"Wait, so Eri-chan has beaten you, too?" Bunta asked.

"No, not beaten. Whenever we play singles against each other, it always ends in a draw." She sighed. "I thought I'd finally get a challenge when I went to Hyotei, but the Monkey King was so weak."

"Emi, you beat Hyotei's Atobe?" It was Sanada who spoke.

"Yeah, everyone was calling him 'King' so I thought he was strong enough, too." She sighed.

Everyone was looking at the girl in awe. She had beaten one of the strongest players around. That means that Eri was just as strong as her. Who were these girls?

"Sorry for making you wait guys! I escort our special guest!" They turned around to face the approaching Eri. Behind Eri stood Yukimura Seiichi!

"BUCHOU?" Everyone shouted in confusion. The sadistic buchou just smiled innocently.

"Well, let's go inside everyone. We'll explain everything after we are checked in and settled." As he grinned evilly, everyone, including Emi and Eri, shuddered.

About an hour had passed since they went into the karaoke room. Emi, Niou, and Akaya were singing the most out of all the tennis players. Occasionally, Emi and Eri would sing a duet of some American songs.

"Sha la la la sutcki ni kiss."

"Sha la la la sugao ni kiss!"

Everyone clapped as the trio had finished the song. Yukimura stood up with Emi and Eri as he took the mic.

"So, does anyone have any questions about anything while I am willing to answer them?" Everyone raised their hands. "Yes, Sanada?"

"Why are you out of the hospital?" Sanada demanded.

"As long as Emi-chan and Eri-chan bring me back to the hospital before 10:00 P.M., then it's fine. Anyone else? Yes, Marui."

"Emi-chan, Eri-chan, why are you so good at tennis? I bet you would be better than Echizen Ryoma who beat Sanada last week." Sanada glowered at Marui.

"Oh, Bunta, you can't tell?" They said in unison. "We are Ryoma's cousins: Echizen Eri and Echizen Emi."

"What? You're related to that brat?" Akaya's eyes started to turn red.

Emi chuckled. "No need to go into devil mode just for that, Akaya-chan. We used to spend summers with Ryoma and his that old perverted monk, so we basically grew up with tennis. Right now, we're living with them, too. Anyone else? Yes, Hiroshi."

"Have you two ladies won any tournaments while in America?"

Eri smiled. "We appeared in both doubles and singles tournaments. When we played in doubles, we were known as the Masquerade Pair. When we played as singles, I was known as the Sphinx and Emi as the Phoenix."

Everyone's eyes widened. They had heard of the Masquerade Pair. The International Tennis Magazine predicted that, if these two kept training, they could be on top of the tennis world, for girls _and_ boys. No one could believe that they hadn't recognized the two girls before.

"Yes, and that's part of the reason I came here tonight," Yukimura explained. "Emi-chan and Eri-chan are very impressive people. Even though they are about same age as most of us, they have met and trained with some of the most world-famous tennis players. So, I would like the two of you to become the boys' Rikkaidai Tennis Team managers. Does anyone oppose?" Nobody said a word.

"Wait," Emi started, "I can't. I don't even go to Rikkaidai."

"Oh? I thought you two would attend the same school."

"Nope, Eri goes to Rikkaidai; I'm starting school at Hyotei tomorrow." She paused before grinning, and added, "I'm going to make that cocky brat's life miserable!" She had a glint in her eyes that sent chills down everyone's spines.

"Oh, yes, I heard from Oshitari-kun about Atobe's pathetic loss against you today. He told me that Atobe had still not been able to walk or talk properly yet." Everyone shuddered as Emi and Yukimura both shared a sadistic smile.

"Ummm… Sei-chan. I would _love_ to be the manager." Eri smiled sweetly.

_YES! I get to spend more time with Eri! Looks like things are finally going my way!_ Marui thought as he grinned. Suddenly, his happy expression fell. _Oh no, what am I going to do? I just KNOW I'll act like an idiot in front of her or something! And she'll end up spending more time with baka Niou too… _Marui started to mutter to himself worriedly. No one else took notice except for Jackal, who sent his partner a sympathetic glance before opting to pay attention to the conversation again.

"Lucky… Eri, I want to be the boys' manager Hyotei, too. I could make that idiot suffer my wrath while training Yuushi, Jirou, and Ryou!" Emi was saying.

As she said this, somewhere in the world, all of the Hyotei tennis team regulars sneezed at once.

**- The "Otaku Corner"-**

2ManyShoez: Now that our readers are satisfied with our update, we shall introduce the origin of the nickname of our last but definitely not least (most likely the shortest though) member of Fail4Ninjas!

TheSpunky(Short)Alchemist: Before we do that, I'm just letting everyone know that Theresa has gone home, and I'd to thank her for taking a load off my shoulders and re-editing this chapter for me! Everyone, please go check out her profile. It's alphaprincess0803.

FlippinWonka: Okay, now that that's over with, please give a round of boos, I mean applause to TheSpunky(Short)Alchemist!

GreenMamushi: Shut up, FlippinWonka! You don't deserve to be here! Since I was the original one who started her nickname, I will explain it to our readers. It started off when she got a haircut and her bangs were kind of short and stuck up. The side of her bangs stood straight up like the Alchemist, referring to a manga.

TheSpunky(Short)Alchemist: So the name stuck and I didn't have a problem with it so I turned it into my nickname. Short was an insult but then again, it's true (sadly).

2ManyShoez: From then on, her nickname became TheSpunky(Short)Alchemist!

FlippinWonka: Please look forward to our next chapter! –still in Japan enjoying her luxury-

Three of us: -death glares- D:


	6. Chapter 5: Emi's First Day

**DISCLAIMER:**

TheSpunky(Short)Alchemist: Have you guys seen FlippinWonka? I let her out of her cell so she could go on a bathroom break an hour ago. I haven't seen her since.

2ManyShoez: Nope, I haven't seen her. I was busy counting all of my sister's shoes. Did you know that they had Batman Converses?

GreenMamushi: -Looks up from drawing- I haven't seen her either. I was busy drawing Kaidoh. She might have escaped.

FlippinWonka: -Still in the bathroom, playing DS games- Should I go back to the cell? They are all probably looking for me…nahhh. We don't own Prince of Tennis; we only own Emi and Eri. This is my first disclaimer from a bathroom…

**Amai Masquerade Love**

**Chapter Five: Emi's First Day**

**Emi POV**

How am I lost on my first day? I was just here yesterday!

It was 8:00 A.M., and school began in another 40 minutes for Hyotei.

"Let's see… front desk? Office? Augh! Jirou and Yuushi won't answer my calls! Now I'll never get there!" I flung my hands up dramatically.

I sauntered around a little more and found the front office. When I entered, the secretary confronted me.

"Hi! Echizen Emi, third year."

"Ah, yes. Echizen-san, I was expecting you yesterday," she announced skeptically.

"I had a cold and could not attend." I used my best apologetic tone and peered at the secretary with my full, angelic eyes.

"Oh well. Here is your class schedule and your school uniform." She handed Emi a piece of paper and a box. "This is the male uniform that you requested."

"Thank you. Now if you'll excuse me."

I then rushed into the nearest bathroom and whipped out a sewing kit.

"Well, I've got work to do."

About 20 minutes later, I stepped out of the bathroom. The uniform did not resemble the original one that the secretary had given me in the slightest bit. The white dress shirt's sleeves were extended, so that the sleeves covered my hands and reached my fingertips. The plaid pants had been cut and adjusted into mid-thigh shorts. I was also wearing Shishido's cyan blue cap.

I sighed. Once again, I was lost and didn't know where the classroom was. Class would start in half an hour. Being late on the first day would not leave a first good impression.

Then, a pair of hands had suddenly covered my eyes.

"Guess who!" a deep voice resonated in my ear drums.

I began laughing. "Oshitari Yuushi, extreme leg fetish guy who is a genius."

"What a shame, Emi-hime. I thought I had finally caught you, too."

"Never mind that! Why didn't you or Jirou pick up my calls?

Yuushi chuckled. "Well… a certain buchou was trying to kill us with training. He kept saying, 'Ore-sama will train you all. Next time Ore-sama sees that girl, we will be ready. Ore-sama's pride cannot be hurt any further.' Or something along those lines."

"HAHAHA! That loser! HAHAHA! Oh god… I can now die peacefully." I was trying not to fall over. "Oh yeah, can you tell me where class 3-B is?"

"Of course. By the way, I love what you've done with your uniform," said Yuushi as he peeked at my legs.

"Hey don't make me slap you, Yuushi!"

"Of course, Emi-hime."

We strode over to a rather bulky building. There was a sign that said "Middle School Section." Ooh, that made sense.

We climbed up three flights of steep, merciless stairs. A horde of girls was screaming when they spotted Yuushi, and some boys whistled when they noticed me. Eww…

"We are here, Emi-hime. I wish you luck." Then, he paraded away.

I took a deep breath and tipped Shishido's cap to conceal my lime green eyes. I opened the door. Everyone stopped chatting and looked my way; they just had to observe the approaching, new girl.

"Ah! Emi-chan, come here!"

I turned my head to the back of the classroom where a maroon-haired boy was jumping up and down ecstatically, and a brunette boy was asleep. A wide grin spread across my face as I dashed to the two boys.

"Hey! Oh, I'm sorry that I didn't get catch your name before…"

"It's Gakuto!"

"So, Gakuto… know any evil ways to wake Ryou up? Preferably something just as shocking as, but not as cliché, as, say, a bucket of ice cold water?"

Gakuto's periwinkle eyes widened, and he started laughing.

"I can tell already, Emi! We're going to be best friends! You can reject Atobe _and_ be evil!"

I giggled. "So, any ways you can think of?"

"You can hug him from behind and whisper his name into his ear?" Gakuto suggested. I rolled my eyes.

"Right. And then the whole fan girl population would try to murder me… Great idea. Look, I can handle a few, but all of them together equals certain death by the hands of bloodthirsty and obsessed females." I shot back sarcastically. He glared at me.

"Do you have a better plan?" I nodded.

"As a matter of fact, I do!"

"So what is it?" I smirked.

"Something like your idea, only I won't be _whispering_." Gakuto raised an eyebrow. In response, I cupped my mouth with my hands and brought my face close to Ryou's ear. I took one deep breath.

"RYOU! WAKE UP, YOU POOR, SLEEP-DEPRIVED, LAZY ASS!" I shrieked in his ear. Gakuto and I doubled up in laughter as Ryou bolted awake and screamed.

"Wha… wha… WHAT?"

At this point, Gakuto and I were in hysterics; I _so _needed to bringmy camera with me more often! We managed to quiet down just as the teacher walked in.

"Alright, students. Go to your seats. We have a new student in class, today. Echizen-san, please come up to the front of the room and introduce yourself."

"Sure. My name is Echizen Emi." I waited for a moment. "Any questions? Yes, you."

"Are you single?" asked one of the boys in the front row.

"Nope, I'm taken."

"Who's your boyfriend?" asked the same boy.

I smirked. _Time to cause a little mischief!_ "Him!" I pointed to Shishido, who looked shocked. Gakuto was thrown into another fit of laughter.

"NO! You can't be Shishido-sama's girlfriend!" wailed a random fan girl.

"Why not? I _am_wearing his hat!" I stuck my tongue out at her, winking at Shishido. He had recovered from his shock and merely looked somewhat relieved that his rabid fan girls might subside now. I grinned evilly again. _I can't have him get too comfortable now, can I?_ I thought. "Actually," I said, watching as Shishido's eyes widened in growing horror. "We're not dating. You girls are all free to take him!" The fan girls cheered and sent my friend covetous looks. Said friend then turned to glare at me.

"Students, that's enough. Echizen-san, seeing as how you're already friendly with Shishido-san and Mukahi-san, you can have the seat between them."

I walked over to my assigned seat and plunked myself down. Suddenly, I felt an arm snake around my shoulders. Sharply turning my head around, I stared at a smirking Ryou.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" I questioned. He smirked.

"Getting protection." I had nothing to say to that, so I groaned, gave up, and leaned backwards.

I didn't fail to notice the once-cheering fan girls give me bone-chilling death glares.

**Normal POV**

"I cannot _believe_ you did that! Now the whole school thinks we are dating!"

"I know, right? It's hilarious. Awww. Don't worry, Emi-chan. I only think of you as a friend; it also kills time."

"Yeah, Ryou is right. It's a lot more fun now. By the way, I saw a mob of fan girls crying. Maybe I should just call you 'The Heartbreaker.'"

"Augh! Not funny, Gakuto. It's wicked gekidasa. And lame!" Shishido, now embarrassed, buried his face into his hands.

"I am offended; that was not lame. I am amazing. You should be awed by my prowess!" The two others started cracking up.

"Hey, Echizen-san." The three gazed upward and saw a girl standing before them. "You have been called to the student council office; it's something about your uniform…"

"Okay, thanks, Ueda-san." The girl blinked and mumbled, "See you later." As she left, the two guys exchanged worried glances.

"You think she knows who the student council president is?" asked Shishido.

"I doubt it. She most likely would have protested it if she knew."

"Shishido, Mukahi, follow me. We need to gather everyone," boomed a mysterious voice.

"The student council president will see you now."

Emi had been sitting on an incredibly comfortable chair, waiting for the president. Now, she could finally meet this guy.

She went inside an extravagant office. _This is almost as cool as my private study back at home,'_thought Emi.

"Sit. Ore-sama isn't pleased to hear you are a new student, and you're already causing trouble here." Uh oh. Emi recognized that voice. "Ore-sama will not tolerate this kind of behavior from any of Hyotei's students. Even if you are…" He turned around in his black leather chair to stare at the girl.

"YOU! You pompous monkey king! I thought I crushed your little ego yesterday!" shouted Emi.

Atobe remained silent. His heart started beating abnormally fast, and his face heated up. _What is this strange feeling?_

Someone knocked at the door. Atobe sighed. "Great, another problem," he muttered.

"Atobe, I am coming in."

As the door opened, a serious-looking man entered. Hyotei's tennis team regulars stood behind him.

"Atobe, Echizen, I have a proposition for the both of you. All of the other members have already agreed," explained the man.

"What would that proposition be, Sakaki-kantoku?"

_Oh, so this is the Hyotei's tennis coach,_ thought Emi.

"Atobe, if I recall this correctly, you told everyone that the strongest person here gets to be the king." He paused. "Echizen beat you yesterday, which means that she is the new king." Atobe's eyes bulged at Sakaki's news. "I'm not sure if you know who she is, but she is the Phoenix of the Masquerade Pair."

"What? Emi-chan, you didn't tell us that you were the Phoenix of the Masquerade Pair!" All of the regulars were astounded. She was part of_ the_Masquerade Pair; the pair that would probably conquer the world some day.

"Coach, are you serious?" asked Atobe with a dumbfounded expression.

"Yes, I am, but instead of being the king of Hyotei, I would like Echizen to be the manager of the tennis team."

"What if I don't want to be the manager?" asked Emi. She actually wanted to be the manager, but she wasn't going to act ecstatic in front of Atobe.

"Echizen, I know that you and your sister have trained many people that are currently at the top of the tennis world. This team needs your assistance. Plus, being the manager is for outside appearances. Think of yourself as a buchou or king when in school or training."

Emi turned around to face the regulars. "Do all of you agree with this? I am _not_ the type to train people half-heartedly. You all might go through trauma with my training, like Atobe is right now.

All of the Hyotei regulars smiled and nodded.

"Well, then I accept being the king, or whatever."

"Right. Then, come to my office to get the form later. You may all proceed." With that, Sakaki-kantoku left.

"Yay! Emi-chan is the king!" Gakuto and Jirou were frantically jumping up and down. Emi smirked.

"Let's celebrate! I'll treat you all tonight!" As Emi said the word "treat", Atobe had woken up from his trauma.

"Ooh. So you are treating us hm? Ore-sama has refined tastes. Ore-sama will not be pleased with something cheap."

Emi displayed a sadistic smile. "Of course, you idiotic monkey king. We will be eating on the private floor of Clark's Tower." She grinned as Atobe gasped.

"You can't get in there. Ore-sama can't even get in there!" _This girl had to be bluffing._

"Well, I can obviously enter, so let's all meet up in the lobby at 6:30 P.M., okay? You should dress formally. Oh, and before I leave, can I get everyone's names?"

"Hiyoshi Wakashi."

"Ootori Choutarou."

"Kabaji." Everyone stared at him. _Did Kabaji just talk?_

"And you know the rest of us."

"Okay! So, that's Yuushi, Jirou, Gakuto, Ryou, Waka-chan, Chou-chan, Kaba-chan, and the Monkey King."

Atobe glowered at the smug-looking girl in front of him.

"Why don't you call Ore-sama by his name?"

"It's because I don't like you," Emi retorted calmly. "Okay, so I'll see you guys tonight!"

"What do you mean, Emi? We still have class," announced Ryou. Emi rolled her eyes.

"Classes are meant for ditching! Besides, I have to go to Rikkaidai now! Bye." She sprinted off before anyone could question her further.

"Where is that girl? She actually had the nerve to make Ore-sama wait!"

It was 6:40 P.M., and the whole Hyotei tennis team was anticipating Emi's arrival in the luxurious lobby. All of the regulars were wearing tuxedos.

"She better not have tricked us! Ore-sama will kill that girl the next ti-"

"Ahem!"

All of the guys turned around to see Emi standing behind them with another girl. They all gaped at the beauty of the two girls with their glamorous outfits. The other girl wore a similar dress, except it was obsidian black. She wore platinum heels and a silver bucket purse. Her jet-black locks of hair draped down to her shoulders. Emi was wearing a baby blue, strapless dress that dropped to her knees. She also wore polished, ebony heels and a matching, black clasp purse. Her bright golden hair was pinned up.

"ERI-CHAN! I didn't know you were going to be here!" Jirou shot out of his seat to embrace the girl.

"Aah. Emi-hime, Eri-hime, you both look stunning."

"Thank you, Yuushi," they answered in unison.

"Uh… Emi who is the other girl?" asked Gakuto.

"Don't worry. I'll tell you upstairs during dinner. Now, everyone get on the elevator." She began striding. "And, Atobe, I know you're awed by my beauty, but please close your mouth." She smiled sweetly and chuckled as Atobe scowled at her.

"Okay, everyone. Please get on the elevator," directed the black-haired girl from inside the elevator doors.

When everyone was in the elevator, and the doors closed, Emi slipped a chrome card out of her purse and slid it through a slot. As she did this, the elevator moved up.

"What was that card, Emi-chan?" asked Jirou.

"It's a VIP card that you need to gain access to the private floor," she explained.

There was an awkward silence in the elevator for about a minute until the doors opened to reveal a lavish hallway. Emi and Eri stepped out of the elevator and motioned for the others to follow. After strolling for a few minutes, they ended up in a room with numerous doors and a polished, oak desk in the middle.

"Emi-sama, Eri-sama! How unexpected! Are you hosting a party? You could have called beforehand, then we would have reserved the whole floor for you two!" said a woman behind the oak desk. She bowed courteously.

"No, it's alright. We didn't want it to be an inconvenience to other people, but what room is open for us at the moment? The bigger, the better," said Emi in a business-like tone.

"Yes, Emi-sama. The view room is open." The woman pointed to the door on the farthest right.

"Thank you." Emi turned around and altered her tone. "Let's go, guys! We got a great room. It has the best view!"

Emi turned the brass knob of the door and led everyone in. The room's walls were transparent glass, and everyone could observe all of Tokyo from them! In the center of the room was a grand maple, circular table where they would be eating.

"This is amazing!" Jirou was pressing his face against the lustrous glass wall.

"Okay, everyone. Take a seat, so we can start the introductions!" said Emi. They immediately did as they were told, with Atobe grunting. As soon as they sat down, Emi began talking.

"Well, this is actually my twin sister. Her name is Eri." Eri stood up and bowed. "And I'll introduce you to everyone, starting with Yuushi. You obviously know Yuushi, but I'll tell you about him anyway. He is an extreme womanizer and a leg fetish pervert. Next is Jirou. You know him, too, but he is the sleeping beauty of Hyotei. Next is the monkey king; his name describes him perfectly," Eri giggled as Atobe crossed his arms and looked away with a huff. "Then Gakuto; think of him as Kikumaru Eiji, except _way_ better." Gakuto grinned happily.

"Then, there's Kaba-chan; he doesn't talk much. After that, there's Chou-chan; he is the sweetest boy ever!" Choutarou rolled his eyes, trying to preserve his manliness. "Next is Waka-chan. He is absolutely adorable!" Hiyoshi blushed a little. "Finally, that's Ryou. He is my boyfriend!" Emi smirked, deciding to turn his joke today against him.

"WHAT?" exclaimed all of the regulars together.

"Wha~t? That's not fair, Emi~. Why does Shishido-san get to be your boyfriend?" whined Jirou.

"No, I'm not!" Shishido was turning crimson. He wasn't expecting _that _to come back and bite him.

Meanwhile, Gakuto and Emi were snickering and high-fiving each other. On the other hand, a certain narcissist next to Gakuto turned incredibly pale and began to feel irritated. He didn't know why yet.

Emi laughed aloud at everyone's shocked expressions. "Okay, so Ryou is my fake boyfriend, but everyone at school thinks we are going out." She admitted before taking a deep breath. "So yeah… Eri, that's everyone."

Eri rose from her seat. "Hello, everyone. I take it that I can call all of you what Emi calls you?"

All of the regulars nodded, except Atobe.

"Thank you!" She smiled while her fuchsia eyes gleamed. "Oh, and does anyone have any questions?"

"Ore-sama does. How were you two able to get a room here? Even Ore-sama can't."

"That's a very easy question, Kei-chan. I hope you don't mind me calling you that, but to put it simply, we own this place."

"Wait… WHAT?"

"Okay, Monkey King. You all should know that we are related to Echizen Ryoma, right? Well, he is our cousin, so we are using the name "Echizen" while we're in Japan. Our real names are Emi and Eri Clark. Do you get it? We are the next heirs to the company."

Atobe nodded his head in disbelief.

"Good. Now, who is next? Yeah, Gakuto?"

"So, does Eri-chan play tennis, too?"

"Yup! Sakaki-kantoku told you that I'm the Phoenix from the Masquerade Pair, right? Well, Eri is the Sphinx!"

"Ooh! You must be really strong then! I would love for you to play with us some time," said Choutarou.

"I'm sorry, but I can't do that. I don't go to Hyotei; I go to Rikkaidai!"

"Oh, really? Do you know Marui-kun then?" inquired Jirou with wide eyes.

Eri laughed. "Yes, I do."

They continued to chat for a while, and soon they were all heading to their homes.

"Bye-bye, Emi-chan, Eri-chan. Let's meet again soon!" Then, they all went their separate ways to get home.

While taking a cab home, Emi and Eri began talking again.

"So let's set up the practice matches between Rikkaidai and Hyotei tomorrow after school. We can have it at Hyotei; I'll just tell all the non-regulars that there's no afternoon practice for them," explained Emi.

"Yes, that would work. I can get one of the company buses to pick us up from Rikkaidai and take us to Hyotei." Eri smirked.

"We can divide it into a small doubles and singles tournament! We could even invite _him_to come!"

"Aah! The regulars are in for one heck of a day, facing a prince and the Masquerade Pair in the same day."

"Yeah, but that's what makes it fun!" They shared a mischievous grin.

**- The "Otaku" Corner-**

FlippinWonka: I've been in the bathroom for three hours now…. Maybe I should go back.

TheSpunky(Short)Alchemist: -slams door open to bathroom- Aha! I FOUND YOU! –sinister laugh- Now back to the cell! -pushes FlippinWonka in front- Now WALK! Left, left, left, right, left… DON'T LOOK BACK! -whips-

GreenMamushi: -sips tea in another part of building- Ahh, I can hear FlippinWonka's screams. I feel like I should go help her, but another part of me wants to stay and stare at the green wall…. I'll stay.

2ManyShoez: I finished counting the shoes! There are exactly 32 pairs! YES! …wait…damn it… I forgot about the stack back in my room… Oh well, please review, favorite, and critique!


	7. Chapter 6: The Prince's Appearance

**DISCLAIMER:**

2ManyShoez: Mommy and Daddy aren't here right now because they had to get sister back from the Supreme Court. Apparently, her height and her hair broke about four laws, so I will be doing the disclaimer! We obviously don't own Prince of Tennis. We obviously do own Emi and Eri. Please have fun reading!

_Translation: TheSpunky(Short)Alchemist and GreenMamushi aren't here because FlippinWonka was being held by the Supreme Court. Her freakish height and her puffy hair were too weird, so she is being tried. I want to own Prince of Tennis, but I don't. We don't want Emi and Eri, but we own them. Just read the story already. _

**Amai Masquerade Love**

**Chapter 6: The Prince's Appearance**

**Normal POV**

-At Hyotei, 8:00 A.M.-

Emi stood on the bleachers and announced to all of the members that were running around the courts.

"All right! That's enough laps, come onto the courts, so I can make an announcement!"

When all the members had gathered around, she began talking.

"Good job everybody! First off, all members have no afternoon practice. Regulars, of course, have practice today." She heard some of the non-regulars cheer. "That is all. All non-regulars are dismissed; regulars are to stay."

As she finished her last sentence, a stampede of people ran out of the tennis courts. After she made sure the regulars were the only ones left, she smiled sadistically.

"So guys, I have a special practice for you today." They started to get nervous as Emi rubbed her hands together (A/N: Think of a mad scientist), an evil shine came to her eyes.

-At Rikkaidai, 8:00 A.M.-

"Thank-you all for your hard work today!" Eri flashed her super sweet smile. "All non-regulars can have afternoon practice off for being so flexible, even though you have a new manager!"

"Thank you, Eri-chan!" All of the non-regulars cheered as they exited the courts. As soon as Eri couldn't see the members anymore, her aura became malicious.

"Uh… Babe…? Could you stop making everyone think that you're an angel?" Niou stopped as Eri glared at him. "Um… Never mind-"

"Eri! TARUNDORU! You let everyone off practice!" Sanada yelled.

"My, what are you talking about Gen-chan? I'm not letting everyone off practice, just the non-regulars. You all are going to have practice!"

"Eri-chan, but why did they get the rest of the day off? If we're all going to be practicing here, isn't best if they stayed?" Marui asked.

"I never said practice was going to be held here though, did I, Bunta?" She smiled at the regulars, who were looking at her with confused expressions.

-Seigaku, 8:20 A.M.-

"Everyone, line up! Just because we made it into the nationals, doesn't mean that we should let our guard down! Yudan sezu ni ikou! You are dismissed!"

"Hai, Tezuka-buchou," said the members.

"Buchou! Can I talk to you about something?" Echizen Ryoma walked up to his captain.

"What is it, Echizen?" Tezuka asked.

"I have to miss afternoon practice today. We are having a family gathering and I have to help my cousins."

"Okay, yudan sezu ni ikou, and Echizen, tomorrow, do 50 laps for skipping practice."

Ryoma sighed. "Hai, buchou."

-Hyotei, 3:30 P.M.-

"Hey, Emi! We've been doing nothing for half-an-hour now! When are you going to start your special practice?" Shishido asked. All of the regulars and Emi were lazily sitting on the bleachers.

"If you're bored, Ryou, we can ditch and go on a date!" Shishido started to blush, glaring at her, while Gakuto and Emi snickered.

"Wahhh, I want to go on a date with Emi-chan!" Jirou said, suddenly wakening from his nap.

"Mm hm. How about you, Atobe?" Oshitari asked, smirking sadistically. It was obvious -to him, at least- that his buchou harbored _some_ feelings for their manager.

Atobe suppressed a blush, and covered his flustered state with a cocky smile. "Ore-sama would love to go on a date with the heir to the Clark Corporations." He tried to pass his eagerness off as only money and fame related.

Emi laughed. "Well, Eri already has someone she likes, and so do I. You won't be getting a date with either of us any time soon."

"Emi-hime! You like someone?" Oshitari grinned as Atobe became noticeably paler.

"Who is it, ann?" Atobe asked casually.

"Aw, Babe, I'm touched. You told them of our secret love affair together?" A new voice spoke. The Hyotei boys turned to face the new voice and gasped.

-Rikkaidai Tennis Team, 3:20 P.M.-

"Are we there yet, Eri-san?" Yanagi asked.

"Almost there Renji, and you all can drop the formalities. You guys can just call me Eri, like how you call Emi, Emi."

The regulars were riding a Clark charter bus. No one but Eri knew the actual destination, though.

"Ne, Babe, seeing you as how you keep looking at your phone, I'm guessing we are late to the place we were supposed to go to?" Niou asked from the seat behind Eri. Said girl reached back and smacked him lightly.

"Stop it with the 'babe' nicknames, buddy, before I hurt you. I'm not going to fall for those player tricks of yours." The other guys snickered as Niou leaned back, miffed.

"Eri-sama!" The driver spoke up before Niou could reply. "We have arrived."

"Okay!" She bounced out of her seat, got out her bag of rackets, and walked to the door of the bus. "Come on guys! We're finally here, so get your stuff and get out of this bus!" She hopped out and skipped away, and the regulars lost sight of her.

"Well, I guess that we should just follow Eri."

The regulars slowly filed out of the bus, and gasped when they realized where they were.

"Darling, why are we at Hyotei?" Niou was looking at her with amused eyes. Eri pinned him with a glare.

"What. Did. I. Just. Say?" she asked through gritted teeth. Niou laughed and backed up, his hands up in defense. The rest of the Rikkaidai team watched in fascination. Yanagi began to scribble down notes.

"Hey, you said I only couldn't say 'babe'!" Eri's glare only intensified, and she took a step forward. Niou's expression became slightly nervous. "Gomen, gomen," he said. Eri looked at him for another long moment, then turned around, satisfied. Niou couldn't resist. "_Babe._" He added.

Eri stiffened. She took one long, ominous breath- and kept walking. Niou -and everyone else- looked shocked at her composure, but Eri was actually inwardly screaming. _I can't kill him. I can't kill him. I will get in trouble with the law. Rikkaidai's team will suffer. I can't kill him. _She chanted to herself. Out loud, she said:

"Saa… Well, let's go. I'll explain everything when we get to the tennis courts."

As they went on, they started to hear familiar voices.

"Emi-hime! You like someone?" A voice asked. When Niou heard this, he sprinted towards the voice.

"Oh! I've got to see this! Come on! Let's follow Niou!" Eri laughed, following. The Rikkaidai regulars exchanged amused glances and dashed after their manager. A few seconds later, they caught up with Niou, who was standing right outside the tennis courts with a mocking look on his face.

"Who is it, ann?" The Rikkaidai members turned their heads to see the Hyotei team captain turning pale.

"Oh? Does Kei-chan have a thing for Emi?" Eri smirked as she said this.

However, Marui was not laughing. "Did she just call him Kei-chan?" He growled under his breath, balling up his fists.

"Why don't we see if Atobe really does like Emi-chan or not?" Niou suggested in a mischievous tone. He raised his voice. "Aw, Babe, I'm touched. You told them about our secret love affair?" Eri slapped her forehead. _How many girls is he going to call 'Babe' by the time we're done? Somehow… I think a lot._ Meanwhile, the Hyotei regulars turned their heads around and gasped. Emi had also turned to see who had been foolish enough to call her "babe" and advertise their non-existent relationship. Her eyes narrowed on Niou, who cheerily winked at her and waved. _He will suffer my wrath! Well, not now, but he will sooner or later…_

"Rikkaidai? Why are you here?" Gakuto asked.

"Eri-chan!" Jirou ran up to Eri and hugged her. "Wah, why are you here? Ah! Marui-kun is here too!" Jirou started smiling gleefully as Eri patted him on the head.

Marui was not as amused. He was actually thinking about killing and torturing Jirou.

"Ah, Buchou! Help, Buchou fainted!" Choutarou screamed.

All heads turned to Atobe. His body was lying on one of the bleachers.

"Atobe?" Emi called worriedly. She ran down to the spot he had fainted, and lifted his head up onto her lap. She felt his forehead.

"Weird, it doesn't feel like anything is wro-."

A cell phone started ringing. Emi then fished it out of her pocket and talked in it to the caller.

"Where are you? ... What, really… Oh, okay… We'll be there soon." She gently placed Atobe's head on the ground.

"Gen-chan is in charge until Eri and I get back okay, Chou-chan, take care of Atobe." She ran and grabbed Eri's hand. "We'll be right back!"

When the twins were out of sight, Jirou and Gakuto approached the Hyotei captain. They figured that he hadn't really fainted, but they wanted to amuse themselves anyway.

"Is he dead?" Gakuto stage-whispered. Atobe twitched slightly. Jirou shrugged.

"I dunno. Poke him." Before Gakuto could do anything of the like, Atobe's hand shot up and grabbed his wrist.

Niou sighed, also walking closer. "I knew you weren't actually unconscious. Atobe-san, you can't fool us. Now get up! I thought you had more pride than to pretend to faint!"

Atobe got up immediately.

"So I guess you have a thing for Emi-chan, right?" The Hyotei and Rikkaidai regulars waited for his reply. There was a short pause before he subtly nodded his head.

"But, Atobe-san, Emi-chan told us that she didn't like you at all a few days ago!" Marui said.

"Ore-sama believes that he will eventually capture her heart. Plus, Ore-sama thinks that he has a better chance at getting Emi's heart than you at trying to get Eri's heart!"

Marui started blushing madly.

"Wait! So Marui-kun likes Eri-chan?" Jirou asked.

Now all eyes were on Marui. He looked like a strawberry. He sheepishly nodded.

"Well, because we both like one of the twins, can we just call a truce?" Marui went up to Atobe with his hand out. "Truce?"

Atobe looked at Marui's hand and started thinking. _It might be better to gain more people to help Ore-sama's cause to Emi's heart…_

"Ore-sama pities you, so he will accept your truce offering."

"Okay, so now that we're going to get Emi-chan and Eri-chan to go out with Atobe-san and Marui, let's come up with some sort of plan." Jackal said.

"Aw! We could have just locked them in a room!" Gakuto said.

"I totally agree, Emi-chan is not the type to comply, but we cou-…"

"Kyaa! Hide me! He's going to kill me!" A voice shrieked. All the regulars looked toward the voice to see Emi and Eri sprinting back to the courts. Eri was running ahead, while Emi kept looking back. On Eri's head was a white cap.

"Hide!" They quickly ran into the courts and hid behind Kabaji. "Kaba-chan, help us! He's going to kill us!" Kabaji moved in front of them protectively.

"Emi-hime! Eri-hime! Who is coming after you? What happened?" Oshitari asked.

Eri popped her head out. "Well, we sort of pulled a prank on Ryoma, and now he's chasing after u-… THERE HE IS! HIDE!"

Outside the tennis courts, Echizen Ryoma was panting, frantically searching for his cousins.

"Ryoma, we're sorry! If you stop chasing us, we can start the practice!" Eri stepped out from behind Kabaji. "Here, you can have your cap back!" She tossed the white hat back at him. Ryoma caught it, cradling it and glaring at his two cousins.

"Yeah, Ryoma, we are sorry," Emi said.

"Well, because everyone is here, let's start explaining things. Everyone go to the courts with your racket! Place your things on the bleachers!" Emi said as she clapped her hands together.

As the three Echizens made their way to the courts, the Rikkaidai and Hyotei regulars started whispering.

"Well, until we get to discuss this anymore, we have to get then to be alone more," said Oshitari.

"Until then, I will gather more data," Yanagi said.

"Hey! Whoever doesn't come down to the courts NOW will have to run 300 laps around Hyotei!" Eri yelled to the group.

"Coming!" Jirou said as he clumsily grabbed his racket. The regulars hurried after him.

"Now that everyone had kindly gathered, we will begin a doubles and singles tournament. Emi will call out your names and which court you will go to!"

"WAIT! So this is our special training?" Shishido asked.

"Yup! Now, courts A, B, C, and D will be used for singles, Courts E and F for doubles. We've set up cameras on each of your courts to analyze your performances later, and we also have some freshmen to be refs. Any questions before we start?" She paused a moment and gasped.

"Wait, is Ato- I mean Monkey King, okay?"

All eyes settled on Atobe, waiting for him to respond. Emi twitched a little as he started smirking.

"Ore-sama is fine. It was only a little heat exhaustion, but ore-sama thanks my precious hime for worrying about me." Emi turned light pink when hearing his words. She looked like she was about to lose it, but then she started smirking.

"Well, as the NEW KING, I have to make sure all of my followers are in good health." She showed a victory smile. "Well, now that the Monkey King's issue was sorted out, when I call your name, step up and go to your courts." She glanced over at Atobe who was having his back pat by practically all of the guys. She and Eri shared a puzzled look before continuing.

"Ryoma and Kaba-chan, Court A!"

"Wait! So why is Echizen Ryoma here?" Gakuto asked.

"Oh, that's simple. It's just that Sei-chan is in the hospital, so we were one player short." Eri explained.

"Moving on, Jirou and Gen-chan, Court B. Waka-chan and Renji, Court C, and Akaya-chan and Monkey King, Court D. That is all for singles. Think of it as an actual tournament. You must win your match to progress further into this tournament. Now, go!"

"Ne, ne, Emi-chan! Are you going to watch my match?" Jirou asked with a glow in his eyes.

"Hehe. Sorry Jirou, but Eri and I are playing as well!" Emi smirked as all eyes stared as her.

"We have to play the Masquerade Pair?" Shishido questioned.

"Only if you win," Emi explained. "Now, on Court E is Ootori-Shishido and Yagyuu-Niou. On Court F is Oshitari-Mukahi and Marui-Jackal. We will play the winners at Court E, and if we win, we play against the winners of Court F."

"We are a little behind schedule," Eri said as she examined the time on her phone. "We would like to start the tournament right away. Please go over to your designated courts." Eri smiled sweetly, and the Rikkaidai regulars started to doubt whether these tournaments were actually a good idea.

**- The "Otaku" Corner-**

2ManyShoez: Daddy just called and told me that they were able to talk FlippinWonka's way out of the trial, but as they were going out; Mommy got stopped by the police. Apparently, she was too short and had to go to a trial as well. Until they get back, I'm in charge of this Otaku Corner! Please review and keep reading! Also, please read our other stories as well!

_At the Supreme Court for the second time:_

_TheSpunky(Short)Alchemist: -wrings her hands and clenches her teeth to hold in the explosion- Once I get out of these specialized titanium cuffs, I'm gonna teach those height-biased cops a lesson about being prejudiced…_

_GreenMamushi: -scratches her ear- I wonder how our other daughter is doing back at home. I hope it will still have at least the foundation by the time we get back…_


	8. Chapter 7: The Tournaments

**DISCLAIMER: **

FlippinWonka: The sky is blue. The grass is green. I am tall. Water is blue. Tea is brown. My eyes are brown. My cousin's eyes are blue. Tunnels are dark. Vines a-

2ManyShoez: FlippinWonka is in a state of temporary insanity at the moment. The doctor said something about confined spaces.

GreenMamushi: I went and bought get-well ice cream for FlippinWonka! Too bad I ate it all, huh?

TheSpunky(Short)Alchemist: Perhaps I should install a light in her prison cell. Then she could work at night, and not sleep! How could I have not thought of this before? And to the FanFiction monitors out there viewing this story, Fail4Ninjas does not own Prince of Tennis in any way! (Although that would make a lot of profit and then I could get the height increasing surgery I've always wanted and Papa could go on a diet and Mutated Daughter could get some nuclear fusion conditioner for her that uncontrollable fur on top of her head… -mutter mutter-)

**Amai Masquerade Love**

**Chapter 7: The Tournaments**

**Normal POV**

"Game, Kabaji, four games in all!"

The game on court A was progressing smoothly. As soon as Ryoma got a game, Kabaji would get one right after. From the looks of it, they seemed evenly matched.

"Emi-neesan, why is Ryoma not using any of his special moves?" asked Eri as they stood on the bleachers, waiting for their game to start.

"Well, to put it simply, Kabaji can copy any special move. Ryoma knows this, and he's saving everything until the very end," Emi replied.

"Emi-chan, Eri-chan, can I watch here with you two?"

The two girls turned around to see Jirou.

"Wait, Jirou? Weren't you in a match with Gen-chan?" Eri asked.

"Yeah, I was, but he went easy on me, and let me win. I was sad at first, but he complimented my magic volley, so I'm happy."

"Oh, well Gen-chan is going to be in trouble later, but Jirou, you face either Ryoma or Kaba-chan," Eri said.

"Game and match, Yanagi, 6 games to 3."

The three turned around to face a rather exhausted Hiyoshi, and a mumbling Renji.

"So, Renji, did you get any new data?"

"Yes, I am very pleased. Hiyoshi-kun has surpassed nearly all of my calculations."

""Ne, Waka-chan, if you're tired, go with Jirou to take a nap." Emi ordered.

"Hai, Emi-chan." He muttered gekokujou once, and walked off to find a shaded spot with Jirou.

On court D, a long rally had been taking place. Atobe was trying to use his insight, while Akaya's eyes were bloodshota bloody red, showing that he was in his devil-mode.

"Kehehe! I'll dye you red as well!" Akaya said as he hit the ball and pointed his racket towards Atobe. He laughed as the whirling ball hit Atobe's knee.

"Ore-sama will not lose here!" Atobe grimaced, as he hit the ball back and made it hit Akaya's wrist.

"Oh no…" Emi said, as everyone looked at her. "Renji, you have to stop the match now! The idiot Monkey King is breaking Akaya's wrist, while Akaya is breaking the Monkey King's knee!"

"Onee-san's perception ability and insight is never wrong! If this continues, they might have to stop playing tennis!" They looked at Renji with anxious, hesitant looks.

"Very well, I shall make Akaya forfeit this match. He will not be pleased."

"Oh, don't worry. If he starts to complain, I will deal with it myself," Emi said icily. "Besides, I will make Atobe forfeit his next match with you anyway. I have to make sure that he is okay." She took Renji by the hand and ran up to the ref. She didn't notice his attempt to free his hand, nor did she see him glance apologetically at a silently fuming Atobe. Of course, Atobe didn't notice the apologetic look either.

_Why is she holding Yanagi's hand? _ Atobe glowered. Yanagi wais supposed to be _helping_ him, not lessening his chances!

On the bleachers outside of the courts, Eri was silently taking in everything that was going on_. So, Kei-chan likes Emi-neesan? She is so lucky! Someone likes her already! _ Her head was fuming with envy.

Of course, she was completely oblivious to a certain redhead that was staring at her. His eyes clearly displayed his infatuation.

"Hey, Marui-san! Please stay focused on the game!" Gakuto said while stifling his laughter.

"Uh… Yeah, sorry!" Marui intensely blushed.

SighEri sighed. _Emi is so lucky! _Eri kept watching Atobe and Emi bicker. She hadn't even cast a glance at the poor blushing Marui.

"Hey Eri, I'm done with my match now. You owe me some Ponta now." She turned around to face her cousin and genuinely smiled.

"Okay Ryoma, but first, go to court A and wait, okay?"

"Sure Eri, I'll see you when I win!" Ryoma walked away as Emi came with a trembling Akaya, a pale Atobe, and an amused Renji.

"Eri-chan!" Akaya ran to Eri and started crying into her shirt. "Emi-chan is scary!"

"There, there Akaya. Emi-neesan is a very forceful person when she wants to be. I hope you don't mind me asking, but why does Kei-chan look so pale?"

"Well, Atobe-san didn't know that Emi had this side to her." Yanagi said while writing in a notebook.

"I won't even ask what you did to them, Emi-neesan, but we have to find Jirou first."

"Don't trouble yourself, Eri-chan. I've got him." They turned around to see Hiyoshi carrying Jirou on his back.

"Ah, Waka-chan! Thank you for bringing Jirou! I'm in a really good mood, so I'll wake him up." Emi skipped her way over to Jirou and whispered something in his ear.

Jirou immediately jolted up from Hiyoshi's back when Emi finished whispering to him. Then, he ran over to court A where Ryoma was waiting.

"Oh? Emi, what did you say to him?" Renji asked as Emi started humming a song.

"Hey, sorry to interrupt ya, darlings, but your match is up next," said Niou as he joined the group.

"Who are we facing, Ma-chan?"

"Unfortunately, we had lost in the vary end," Yagyuu said as he made his way over.

"Oh, so you to lost to Chou-chan and Ryou-chan?"

"Well, then, Monkey King, you are going to be in charge of everything, when we play our matches."

"Wait, hime, Ore-sama did not lose. Ore-sama is playing in the next match against Yanagi."

"First, stop calling me "Hime-sama". Second, you are not playing against Renji. Your knee wouldn't be able to stand the pressure and stress if you played him," Emi states as she took Eri by the hand and walked over to court E. "When today's matches are done, I'm taking you and Akaya-chan to the hospital."

Atobe could not get a chance to reply as the twins walked away.

"Yanagi.". The datea specialist looked up from his notebook. "Ore-sama did not lose to you. Ore-sama just wants to obey what his precious hime-sama is telling ore-sama, understood?"

"Yes," Yanagi answered before scribbling some things down. "I am going to go watch Emi's and Eri's match now. Would anyone like to accompany me?"

"We'll all go, right everyone?" Yagyuu asked.

Everyone's heads nodded in unison as they walked over to Court E to see the match that was starting.

"Echizen Emi to serve!" The ref called out.

"Ne, Ryou-chan, Chou-chan! Should we go easy on you?" Emi asked slyly.

"No! That would be major gekidasa! Just go full throttle from the start!" Shishido yelled.

"Well, because they insist, let's start with _that_, one-san." Eri said.

"Okay, here you go." Her cheerful face suddenly turned serious as she began bouncing the ball. She shot the ball into the air, and hit it. "Storm Serve!"

"Shishido started to get nervous. They were starting with a special move! He ran up to the ball and hit it back. He blinked; there was nothing special about that serve!

Ootori watched as Eri hit the ball with an expression that read, "Oops, I hit the ball too hard". The ball was going out, and both Shishido and Ootori looked at each other in confusion.

"Guys, you shouldn't take your eyes off the ball," Eri said. The boys looked at one another before finding the ball at their feet.

"15 love!"

"What? Hey, Emi! What happened?" Shishido asked.

Emi and Eri snickered. "Fine, we'll show you again one more time."

Emi went back to the baseline and served again. "Storm Serve!" It was Ootori's turn to hit the ball as it came toward him. When he hit it he realized it was a regular serve, and sent it back over the net with ease.

When the ball whirled toward Eri, she hit back an obvious out ball. Instead of letting the ball sail by them, theShishido and Ootoriy watched the ball carefully. They continued to watch the ball as it flew past the baseline. Then, as the ball neared the fence, it curved. It curved back around their side of the court and went in neartowards the net. As the ball bounced in after doing a 180 degree turn, it swirled around and bounced many a few times.

"Amazing… that was brilliant!" Ootori said while trying to find the right words to compliment them.

"Watashitachi saikou desho?" (Translation: Aren't we amazing?) They said in sync as they high-fived.

When Shishido finally snapped back, he smiled as his opponents. "Choutarou looks like we might have a hard time here. We can't afford to be lazy and not use our moves!"

"Hai, Shishido-san!"

Outside the courts, everyone stared at the games.

"This is the power of Emi-chan and Eri-chan when they are combined!" Akaya said happily.

"Ore-sama doesn't understand why hime-sama didn't use that move when she faced ore-sama before," Atobe said with an annoyed tone. "Emi went easy on ore-sama that day…"

"Well, Atobe-san, Emi couldn't use that move against you." The group turned to face Yanagi, "basically, for that move to be effective, you would need a great amount of power and a great amount of control. Emi fulfills the power requirement, but not the control. Eri fulfills control, but not power. They need each other!"

"Oh, I get it!" Akaya beamed.

"Was this seriously the kid who ore-sama faced moments ago?" Atobe thought silently, while watching Akaya.

"Game to Echizen Pair. 3 games to love!"

They all tuned back into the match in a matter of moments. Emi and Eri had taken three games.

"Looks like we can't afford to take our eyes off this match," said Niou.

Back on the court, Ootori was getting ready to serve. He threw the ball into the air and hit it with all of his power. "Scud Serve!" When the ball touched Ootori's racket, Emi yelled back to Eri.

"Your eyes can't handle this! Use your ears!" In an instant, Eri had instantly closed her eyes.

"Choutarou's scud serve isn't something to return," Shishido yelled called with a smileconfidently. Then hHe narrowed his eyes_. Where was is the ball?_ thought Shishido wondered.

"Love 15!"

Shishido's eyes droppedwidened. Choutarou's Sscud Sserve had been returned!

Atobe was just as shocked.

"Ore-sama couldn't even return it the first time! Eri can return it even with her eyes closed!" He stared at her with wide eyes.

"Ryou-chan! When Eri returns the ball, you have to hit it back," Emi said reminded him sarcastically. "Well, you guys have been doing better than I originally thought, so we'll show you a zodiac!"

Niou whistled. "Atobe-san, your players have no chance of gaining even one point now."

"Ore-sama believes that Shishido and Ootori still have a chance. Ore-sama has trained them well."

"Well, let's watch your second-year serve." Niou mischievously remarked.

On the courts, Ootori started to get nervous. "What if they lost? Would they be lucked out of lose their regular positions? What if Atobe-buchou suddenly stopped talking to them? What if they…" He thought was a panicked expression.

"Oi, Choutarou! Snap out of it! We can still win this! If we lose, it would be gekidasa!" yelled Shishido yelled when he noticed Ootori's uneasiness.

Ootori blinked a couple of times when Shishido said this. He suddenly smiled to himself. _"I will not let Shishido-san down!_" thought Ootori.

"Scud serve!" This time it was Emi returning, and both Ootori and Shishido expected her to close her eyes and return the shot, but she kept her eyes wide open. She was following the ball with her eyes. She breathed in and yelled.

"First zodiac: Cerulean Aquarius!"

When she hit the ball, it ended up flying towards the sky. Everyone looked up to find the ball, but failed because it had been swallowed up by the sun.

Then, there was a loud sound from behind Shishido and Ootori. They turned around to see the ball in side their side of the court.

"DarlingOi! Who said you could copy my meteor drive? Babe, I'm touched and all, but you owe me a kiss later!" Niou yelledshouted at Emi.

"Mmm… Kay!" she replied teasingly, casting a quick glance at the rapidly darkening gaze of Hyotei's captain.

"WHAT?" Atobe shouted out. Instantly, Emi turned her full attention on him's eyes stared toward him.

"Hmm? Is the Monkey King jealous of my little affair with Ma-chan?" Emi said mockedeagerly.

"Ore-sama is not jealous!" Atobe's face was turning a slight pink.

"Awww… Look Ma-chan, the Monkey King is jealous of our love affair," Emi sang.

"Onee-san, we have to finish the match now. You can taunt your lover later," Eri said.

"Okay! You heard that Monkey King?" Emi winked at Atobe, making him flustered.

"Onee-san, you should stop making Kei-chan so flustered. He might start to develop feelings for you."

Emi turned to face Eri. "But Eri, that's exactly what I was aiming for."

**- The "Otaku Corner"-**

FlippinWonka: And the rabbit went hop, hop, hop all the way home. Next story! -–claps hands in a childish fashion-

TheSpunky(Short)Alchemist: She is too insane to read on her own, so the doctor is making me read her stories…. She dies tomorrow. -shakes head-

2ManyShoez: It's touching to see TheSpunky(Short)Alchemist actually act like a mother for once. It doesn't happen very often.

GreenMamushi: I went out and got more ice cream! I'll give cyber-ice cream to anyone who favorites or reviews our stories! It's any flavor you want for free but only if you review, our faithful readers!


	9. Chapter 8: Lucky Day!

**DISCLAIMER:**

FlippinWonka: Help! GreenMamushi wants to kill me! I accidentally spilled yellow paint on GreenMamushi's favorite green wall!

Theresa: Uh, FlippinWonka? Instead of hiding under the table where GreenMamushi can obviously see you, shouldn't you consider running away?

2ManyShoez: Should I lend FlippinWonka running shoes? I think I put them in the stack at the back of my room, or maybe they were in the living room? Kitchen?

GreenMamushi: FSHHHHHHHHHH. FLIPPINWONKA, I SEE YOU UNDER THE TABLE! FSHHHHHHHHHH!

TheSpunky(Short)Alchemist: Wow, first time I'm not actually yelling at FlippinWonka. It feels refreshing and not stressful. We don't own Prince of Tennis… I feel so relaxed.

**Lucky Day**

"Game and match, Echizen Pair! 6 games to love!"

The girls high-fived each other and began laughing. Shishido and Ootori were sweating profusely, but they couldn't help themselves, and joined in with the laughter.

"That was a good game!" Ootori said.

"Yeah! I didn't expect you guys to return the first zodiac! If the match went on, we would have had to bring out another one." Eri replied enthusiastically.

"You two did really well… for girls that is." Shishido grinned.

"Yeah, and you guys did well against a worldwide doubles team… for boys that is," said Emi while smirking.

They shook hands and walked off the courts.

"Wa~~~~h! Emi-chan, Eri-chan, your Cerulean Aquarius was so cool! I wish you had used your Fifth Zodiac, but it was still awesome!" Jirou said as he glomped the two girls.

"The Fifth Zodiac? Oh, that one. What do you think, onee-san?" inquired Eri.

"Sure, why not? We haven't used it in a while."

The others were clueless as to what Jirou, Emi, and Eri were talking about.

"Emi-chan, would you mind telling us what your Fifth Zodiac is?" asked Ootori.

"You guys will see when we use it in our next match." She turned around and faced Eri. "Can I go change clothes? I hadn't used the First Zodiac in a while, so now I'm all sweaty!" Emi whined.

"I would like to change as well. Please excuse us; we will be back in a few minutes," Eri said as she got her stuff and followed Emi to the girls' locker room.

As Emi and Eri made their way to the locker room, they had started to murmur in deep discussion.

"Onee-san, did you bring your contacts?" Eri asked while striding into the locker room.

"What; did you think I'd forget them?" asked Emi as she led the way into the bathroom stalls. "More importantly, did you bring the hair-color spray?"

"Yes I did, onee-san. Here are my clothes and sneakers," declared Eri as she handed Emi a bundle of clothes.

"Okay! Here are mine!" Emi took Eri's clothes and put hers in Eri's hands.

"Our Fifth Zodiac is going to work well, onee-san." Eri said as she took out her spray, and sprayed her hair to a golden blonde color.

"Of course it will work, Eri. That Monkey King is too stupid to figure it out," exclaimed Emi as she put in her violet contacts.

"Onee-san, I'm done changing, so I'm going to head back first," Eri shouted back as she was about to exit the room.

"Wait! I'm done as we- AUGHHH!" Eri quickly spun her head around to find her sister sprawled on the floor.

"Onee-san, … are you okay?"

Emi stood up, and glared at Eri. "This never happened okay?"

"Hai, onee-san." Eri said as they stepped out of the locker room and strode back to the tennis courts.

o0o0o0o

After several minutes of waiting and awkward silences, the group heard a boisterous voice.

"Hey! Guess what? Jackal and I won!" Marui, Jackal, Oshitari and Gakuto approached the group.

"What is this ann? Oshitari and Mukahi, you two lost? Hasn't Ore-sama trained anyone enough? Why is Ore-sama the only god among mortals? Isn't there anyone who can measure up to Ore-sama? What is wro-."

"AUGH! Shut up, Monkey King! You talk more than Ryoma when he's high on Ponta! (A/N: HE SHOULD GET HIGH ON PONTA) I don't want to hear your voice!" Emi and Eri had returned, and Emi looked like she could murder Atobe.

"I'm sorry for onee-san's rudeness, Kei-chan. It's just that we had a slight problem, and onee-san is a little irritated," Eri explained wearily.

"Eri-chan, are you okay? You sound very tired. I can give you gum if you want!" Marui was at Eri's side in a blink of an eye, pulling out his favorite apple-flavored gum.

"Thanks Bunta, but I'm okay. I've just been stressed lately," she noticed the worry in Marui's eyes and rapidly changed the subject, "So let's begin the final matches for the singles and doubles tournament."

"Yeah! So, Ryoma and Renji, go on Court B. Eri, me, Bunta and Jackal will be on Court E. Let's go everyone!" She started to walk back to Court E, but turned around as if she remembered something. She walked back to the group, approached Niou, and kissed him on the cheek.

"There you go, Ma-chan!" She grinned goofily before skipping off.

Niou was in dreamland, sighing contently. He was completely unaware of the dark aura that was trying to consume him from behind. A pair of red eyes glared at Niou in a furious rage.

"Hey guys! Are you coming?" Emi asked as she shouted back.

"Um… Emi-chan I'm not sure why, but Atobe-san looks like he's going o bite Niou-senpai's head off! He's scary!" Akaya wailed.

"Aw~! Is the monkey king jealous again? It's okay! I can give you a kiss later, too," she sauntered over to Atobe and whispered into his ear. "Though I think you would rather have onee-san give you a kiss instead of me."

"What? Ore-sama demands to know what you mean by that," Atobe frantically muttered in reply.

"Saa. You'll see Kei-chan." She added before scampering over to where Emi was waiting.

Atobe observed Emi and Eri with a stupefied expression. _If Ore-sama's theory is correct, then those two a-_

"Oi, Atobe! Emi and Eri's match is about to begin! I'm not missing it!" Shishido yelled at his buchou before making a dash to Court E.

Atobe started to slowly stride over to Court E. He was deep in thought about what Eri had told him. When he had finally reached the court, Jackal was getting ready to serve.

"Fire!" Jackal smashed the ball with its usual tremendous speed and power. Eri was on the receiving end, or who looked like Eri, was on the receiving end. Everyone who had been present for their match with Shishido and Ootori thought that Eri would close her eyes to hit the ball back. Instead, Eri had let the ball dart right past her.

"I'm sorry onee-san, but they already know that I must close my eyes to hit back a ball with that much power," Eri bowed slightly to Emi before switching positions.

"Don't mind! Let's use a few seasons before we use our Fifth Zodiac though, okay?" said Emi vivaciously.

"Hai, onee-san. Jackal, we are ready; please serve." Eri requested courteously.

"Okay," Jackal took a deep breath. "FIRE!"

Emi was on the baseline and was watching the ball intently. For a swift moment, she had closed her eyes, and opened them again just as keenly. She thought no one would notice, but Niou and Atobe had noticed.

"Autumn Twist," she hummed the words barely above a whisper, but everyone could hear them. Marui didn't think much of it and was getting ready to volley it.

"Hehehehe, I get to show Eri-chan my genius!" Marui was speaking to himself with a merry expression.

When the ball was a few feet away, he had gotten in the stance for the Tightrope Walker. Then, when he was about to volley it, it changed its direction in a flash!

"What?" Marui slightly stumbled in surprise, but kept his composure to continue playing. The ball a turned a sharp, 90 degree angle, and had scurried over to the right gutter.

"Don't dodge the ball!" Jackal sprinted over to get the ball. He was about to return it, but when the ball touched the ground it skidded across the court and went out.

Marui and Jackal exchanged bewildered expressions, but tried not to panic.

"Aah! Ii data! So Emi-chan can use a move that has the same effect as Seigaku's Fuji Syuusuke's Tsubame Gaeshi. Interesting," Renji noted.

Everyone who stood on the sidelines was astonished because of Emi's move and also because of Yanagi, who instantaneously appeared behind them.

"Wait, wait, wasn't Eri the one with the better control? How could Emi manage a move like that?" Shishido pondered impatiently.

"Well, they both practice with each other daily. I'm sure that they could copy each other's techniques," Yagyuu replied.

"What Ore-sama wants to know is why you are here, Yanagi. Weren't you in a match with the Seigaku freshman?" Atobe questioned.

"Yes, but I had forfeited the match to watch this one. If my calculations are correct, then this match could help reveal Emi and Eri's potential. Echizen was agitated, but I had promised him a match in the future." Yanagi stated.

"Mada mada dane. I didn't forgive you, Yanagi-san, I just figured I'd watch my cousins play as well." Ryoma muttered as he walked to the group with a grape-flavored Ponta in his hand.

"Che… Brat… " Akaya fumed quietly.

"15-40!"

Everyone turned back into the game as the ref announced the score.

"Wow, I didn't expect you guys to be able to return my Autumn Twist so fast!" Emi exclaimed benevolently.

"Onee-san, let's not bring out another one yet. I don't want them to return two of our seasons so easily." Eri said.

In another five minutes, Emi and Eri had taken a game.

"Game to the Echizen pair. One game to love. Change sides."

As Emi and Eri went over to their bench to drink water, Niou, Atobe and Jirou assembled in front of them.

"Hey, Emi, Eri! Ore-sama demands to know why you two had swit-." A hand covered Atobe's mouth.

"Ne, Kei-chan? Would you mind shutting up?" Eri whispered stealthily into Atobe's ear. "Or maybe you would understand easier if I say it like this; you are an idiotic, pompous jerk!" Atobe had moved backwards a little towards the fence.

"So darlings, I'm just saying for future references, but Emi, you shouldn't close your eyes. Atobe and I noticed immediately when you did," advised Niou.

Emi began pouting. "Well, even though I love all of your little tips, Eri and I have a match." She stalked off the court to avoid Niou's vexing advice.

"I'll see you guys after the match." Eri said as she stepped near the court.

When both pairs had arrived, Eri took her position on the baseline.

"Get ready! She might hit the Storm Serve!"

Eri tossed the ball perfectly into the air and jumped. No one could spot the ball because of how the sun's blinding rays were flawlessly aligned with the tennis ball in the air. Eri's eyes squinted at the sun, and right before her feet touched the ground; she rapidly swung.

A resonant bang was heard where Marui was. On the baseline, Marui's wrist was quivering from the power. He dropped his racket a few feet in front him. Somehow he had been able to reach the ball in time, but he could not hit it back. The ball was vigorous and speedy, but Marui resolved to return it the next time it was used.

_My Eri-chan had this much power? Sorry, but I'm going to return it, even if I have to use two of my hands._ Marui thought as he held onto his wrist.

"Onee-san! I thought I told you not to use your Bone Serve! Bunta's wrist could have been broken if you had used more power! I would have to kill you if you had broken it." Emi's sudden outburst had stunned everyone.

"Wait! Why did Emi call Eri 'onee-san'? Wasn't Emi the older one?" Gakuto interrogated with a baffled look.

"Che… you just had to ruin it, Eri," Eri walked over to the bench and took out two small cases. She threw one over to Emi before opening her own. She tilted her head back a little and touched her eyes with her fingers; Emi was doing the same.

When they had removed their fingers; the others realized that Emi had purple eyes and Eri had green ones.

"What?" The regulars stood still, too dumbfounded to move a muscle.

"Well babes, I'm disappointed. I didn't think you would steal two moves from me!" said Niou.

"Wait! Why does Eri-chan have green eyes? Why does Emi-chan have purple eyes? I'm so discombobulated!" Akaya yelled and clutched his seaweed hair in bemusement. Tears were about to form in his eyes.

"Oh! It's all right! I'll explain so don't cry!" Eri rushed over to where he was standing. "The Fifth Zodiac is when we switch appearances and mimic each other. I am Eri, but I was pretending to be Emi. We have contacts to change eye color, and hair color spray to change our hair color. Do you get it?"

Akaya nodded his head. "I knew something was wrong! Eri-chan is too nice to hurt Marui-senpai!"

"Hey! What does that make me then?" asked Emi with an offended expression. "Now our Green Capricorn is completely useless. Plus, half of our regulars look like they've been turned into stone or something."

"EVERYONE TARUNDORU!" Sanada's voice thundered through the courts.

All eyes looked to a spot behind the large fence. Sanada was standing with his arms crossed, glaring at Marui and Jackal.

"Marui, because you were careless, you won't be able to continue this match with that wrist. Jackal, you should have warned Marui not to underestimate his opponents!" At this point, Sanada was barking at his team mates.

"Not that big of a deal Gen-chan." Eri stood up from her spot beside Akaya. "I take it you were discussing next week's plans with Sakaki-kantoku?"

"Eri-hime, what do you mean by next week's plans? Is Rikkaidai going somewhere?" Oshitari investigated.

Eri glanced over at Emi, who shrugged in response. "I haven't told them yet."

"Want to tell them now? I haven't told my team either." Eri shrugged back.

"Wait, Ore-sama demands to know what you two are talking about. Ore-sama is the captain of the tennis team, and Ore-sama feels that Ore-sama deserves to know about everything that's happening around here," Atobe demanded as he had somehow moved right next to Emi.

"Aww, well let me tell you something, Monkey King. I. DON'T. CARE. ABOUT. WHAT. YOU. WANT." Atobe's eyebrows twitched to display his aggravation when she said this. "Now back to IMPORTANT matters; Eri, please tell them kindly."

"Hai, next week we will have the Junior Invitationals Camp, and both Hyotei and Rikkaidai are invited to go!" Eri exclaimed brightly.

"Babe, are you serious?" Niou spoke up.

"The camp starts next Monday, and we will be picked up from our schools at 8:00 A.M. All of you will participate to see who will be chosen to play against the American players." Emi exhaled and paused before continuing. "Plus, Eri and I have been requested to play as well. We accepted, so we will be at the camp as well."

Gakuto groaned. "So we have to train and fight against each other to see who gets to play in the upcoming tournament against the American players?"

"Yup! And because Marui and Jackal had to forfeit, we are done for today. Rikkaidai pack your bags and go back to the bus," ordered Eri.

"Oh, but Marui, Akaya and the Monkey King have to stay," Emi chimed in.

"Why do we have to stay?" Akaya asked with his puppy dog eyes.

"Well, onee-san and I have to take you, Bunta and Kei-chan for an x-ray at the hospital. Also, I can get a cab to take you guys back later," offered Eri.

"Hey by the way, how do you get the blonde out of your hair, Eri-chan?" Akaya asked.

"I need to take a shower to get this color out. I don't think it looks good on me." Eri said insecurely.

_But Eri looks good no matter what she does with her hair. The gold locks match with her purple eyes perfectly. It's just what I expect from my Eri. _Marui thought dreamily.

"Marui, there is a 99.8% chance that you are thinking about Eri. Am I correct?" Renji asked as he scribbled down his notes.

"Uhhhh… Hahaha, Yanagi can we speak of this later. Eri is looking this way."

"There is a 68.5% chance that Eri has started to think about you more than before. I thought you would like to know." Yanagi slowly creeped away.

_My Eri is thinking about me as well? Today just might be my lucky day. No wonder I'm such a genius!_

Marui smiled blithely as he popped another piece of gum into his mouth.

**-The "Otaku Corner"-**

FlippinWonka: I will not buy any more yellow paint. I will not run around the house with yellow paint. –Drools-

2ManyShoez: Apparently GreenMamushi can use hypnotism… What's with this?

GreenMamushi: I'm using my inner Fuji. HAHAHAHA!

TheSpunky(Short)Alchemist: Wow, everybody is so tense. You got to relaxx.

Theresa: Uhh… there is nothing illegal going on in this house… Uhhh I need a distraction… OH! Thanks for reading this chapter. Please keep reading and vote on the new poll on the Fail4Ninjas profile. Read my stories, too!


	10. Experimental Iwashi Teeming Refreshment

**Disclaimer:**

FlippinWonka: Because the rest of Fail4Ninjas is currently depressed, I will be doing an actual serious disclaimer. We don't own Prince of Tennis or any of the characters in the story, aside from Emi and Eri. Also, in one of my previous chapters, Tezuka made an appearance to talk to Echizen. This was a mistake because Tezuka is currently in Germany. Also, this chapter takes place a few days before the Junior Invitationals start. Please enjoy.

**Experimental Iwashi Teeming Refreshment**

**Normal POV **

**-Rikkaidai 4:30 PM-**

"Come on Ma-chan! Only five laps to go! You can do it!" Eri cheerfully shouted out to the overly-sweating Niou who was passing her for the eightieth time.

"Honey, I'm touched that you are still cheering me on even though everyone has left. But, could you not make it seem as though you are enjoying the pain that I am going through right now?" Niou's voice was hoarse and raspy. He had been running since the beginning of practice when school had ended, and now it was sunset.

Why did Niou receive so much harsh training? It was fairly simple. He just had the nerve to keep calling Eri pet names. Even though Marui and Eri both threatened him, he kept calling her 'babe.' Sanada had finally gotten tired of all of the bickering and gave Niou 100 laps.

"Now Ma-chan, who said that I wasn't enjoying the pain that you are going through?" Eri's eyes sparkled with amusement as she started to drink out of a water bottle. Just to irritate the dehydrated Niou, of course.

She could see him twitch as she laughed haughtily and took long sips from the water bottle.

"Come on Babe, I'm sure Sanada wouldn't mind if you let me off of all of this running. I hope you didn't forget I'm running with 500 mg on each foot and arm." To emphasize that fact, he rolled up one of the sleeves of his jacket to reveal one of the weights that was strapped to his body.

"Oh come on, how stupid do you think I am? I know you enough to know that you probably took those weights out hours ago." Eri smugly glanced at him as he passed by her again. She did feel guilty, but the anger she felt for him cancelled out any of the guilt she had left in her.

"Aww, Sweetheart you catch on quick. Well, I guess that was expected. If you didn't notice that, then I would be put to shame as your teacher in the art of trickery and illusions." Niou started to slow down a bit to flash her a coy smile before running off again.

"Stop giving yourself so much credit. You taught Emi and I a long time ago. And Ma-chan, you know this torture would be over if you just stopped calling me those stupid names. You know I don't like it, and I can just ask Sanada to make you run these laps again tomorrow."

"Babe I will always think of you as my pupil, and I'll never stop giving you pet names!" Niou waved at Eri as she tucked in her shoulders and arched her back. Niou dismissed what Eri was doing as signs of defeat and kept on jogging.

She was secretly crying, not full out sobbing, but crying enough for a few tears to spill over.

_No! I'm not letting Niou see me like this. I can't give them any proof that Emi wasn't the only one affected that day… I have to stay strong until Emi is cured. I shouldn't disappoint Mother and Father either; I'm not going to cry._

Eri nonchalantly wiped her tears away as she thought about the past that ruined her and Emi.

Niou noticed Eri's actions and slowed his jog down to a walk as he cautiously climbed up the steps of the bleachers. She was staring off into space and had not blinked for a few minutes. Just to prove his assumptions, he waved his hand around in front of her face.

Although she had not realized what Niou was doing, Eri's facial expressions began to alter. Her face was blank a moment ago, but suddenly her face seemed to contort with agony and rage.

Niou got slightly panicked. Something was off about Eri. He snapped his fingers, and somehow managed to pull Eri out of that trance.

"Hm? Why are you inches away from my face Niou? Did you finish your laps?"

_Oh shoot, she called me Niou. That means she is pretty mad… I can take advantage of that._

"Well Beautiful, I just finished my laps while you were probably thinking of how amazing I look. So, may I walk the you home, Pretty Lady?" He bowed and put his hand out for her to grab.

Eri just scowled at Niou. Now he had thought of another pet name to call her?

She thought about what Niou said and stood up to grab his hand.

"Okay Ma-chan. I'll go with you, but you have to tell Bunta why I'm holding your hand on a tennis court with no one else here, just the TWO of us." Eri looked behind Niou and waved over to the fence where Marui was standing. Niou started to tense up as he felt Marui's glare bore into his back.

"Hey Marui," Niou said without even looking over to where Marui was. "I'm just talking to Eri about how to keep our secret love affair private. No need to get mad or anything."

Eri playfully hit Niou on the head. "And Bunta, you know Ma-chan enough to know that he is an idiotic, lying trickster. Don't listen to him, okay?" She grabbed a hold of both of Niou's hands before sprinting over to where Marui was watching the pair.

_I will not kill Niou… I will not kill Niou… I will not kill Niou… At least I won't kill him until we win the Nationals…_

Marui smiled with satisfaction. Yes, he should wait until Rikkaidai won the Nationals again before killing Niou; that was the perfect plan.

"It's okay, Eri. I know that Niou is an idiotic, lying trickster." Eri let out a chuckle as Niou started to glower.

"Guys, we don't need a full out war right now. We need to get ready for school tomorrow and the Junior Invitationals in a few days." She laughed a bit as she got ahead of the two boys and ran over to the gate.

"Niou… I think there is something wrong with Eri." Marui had been watching Eri for awhile, and he had noticed her crying a little.

"I'm with you on that, Marui. She didn't notice me when I was directly in front of her face. She seemed to be thinking about something grim." Niou nodded in agreement as Marui blushed slightly.

"Come on guys; hurry up! I need to take the train back, and that is going to take me forever!" She linked arms with Niou and Marui before dragging them to the station. "Oh, and good job at the tournaments, guys! Proud to say that Rikkaidai made it to the end of the Singles and Doubles tournament."

Niou and Marui glanced at each other. Eri was back to her normal self again.

**-Hyotei 5:30 PM-**

"Emi-chan! Are you trying to kill us?" Gakuto asked as he fell flat onto his face.

The Hyotei regulars, unlike Rikkaidai, were ALL running 100 laps; they were all dying by the eightieth lap.

"Noooooo, what could possibly make you say that?" She used her doe eyes to go with her sarcasm.

"Oh, okay then. Thanks for not killing us!" Emi face-palmed herself because of how gullible Gakuto was being at that moment. How stupid could this acrobat get?

"Gekidasa, Gakuto! How could you think that she wasn't trying to send us to our graves?" Shishido added in a little profanity as he kept his pace and jogged with the rest of the regulars.

"Awwww, I won't try to kill you Ryou! You're my boyfriend for now!"

_Operation: Make Ryou Trip and Make Him Last to Finish the Laps is now in session!_

All the regulars saw Ryou babbling incoherent words and not paying attention to where he was going. Needless to say, Atobe only arrogantly laughed at him when he tripped and fell.

"Curse you Atobe!" These were Shishido's last words before his face met the cement beneath him.

"Shishido-san! I will finish these laps for your honor as well!" Ootori wrapped his fingers around the necklace he wore and silently made a quick prayer.

"Uh huh… Well, I'm going to make things a little interesting. Last place has to drink this!" She shuffled the contents of the bag that was behind her before pulling out a large pitcher. "This is Iwashimizu!" Emi smiled deviously for a split-second before putting up a poker face. She didn't want anyone to be on their guard when they saw her smiling sadistically.

"Emi-hime, Iwasimizu isn't really a threat. In fact, most of us now have a reason to slow down to be able to drink something after this horrendous practice." Oshitari's tone was similar to one that a father would use on his daughter.

Oshitari's predictions came true as all of the regulars, except Atobe and Jirou, slowed down to a walking pace.

_Damn, the Monkey King and Jirou know something's wrong, don't they? They've known me long enough to know that I don't offer anything up unless there is some entertainment in store for me. I guess I can let those two off the hook…_

"As a reward for the Monkey King and Jirou, I will let these two off from finishing today's practice." This made Atobe look at her in bewilderment, and Jirou just walked over to the bench to nap. "And I only let these two off because they didn't stop running, but for the rest of you, if you can sprint another three laps, you can stop as well."

"Usu." Surprisingly, it was Kabaji who voiced out his thanks as the others started to sprint around the courts.

"Oi, Emi. Ore-sama wants to know what is in the drink that you're going giving to the loser." Over the past couple of days, Atobe had stopped calling Emi, Emi-hime. He had sort of lost respect for her when they had attended the hospital a few days back. When he was getting his check-up, Emi had practically disappeared. She didn't even have the nerve to tell him where she had gone, nor did she say her goodbyes to him when he left the hospital.

What Atobe didn't know was that her family owned the hospital that they had visited, and she had been busy attending to patients, but he didn't need to know that yet.

"Monkey King, shut up. You'll see when the last person drinks it," snapped Emi.

Atobe and Emi both froze in shock. The last person to finish was… Oshitari?

"Oshitari?" Everyone's voices echoed throughout the courts. Their resident tensai had come in last?

"Well here I am Emi-hime. Can I have some of that Iwashimizu?" Oshitari purred slightly at the end of that question to get a reaction out of Emi. Unfortunately for him, there was none.

"Okay! Here is a cup of Iwashimizu!" _Good luck!_

Oshitari brushed his fingers over hers before taking the cup into his own hand. He smirked a bit at Atobe before drinking up the Iwashimizu in one gulp.

Emi held her breath as the regulars waited for some kind of reaction from Oshitari. He suddenly passed out and had a ghastly foam coming out of his mouth.

"Yuushi! NOOOOOOO!" Gakuto ran over to the unconscious tensai and started to wail.

"Emi-san, what was inside that drink?" Hiyoshi asked as he slowly crept over to Atobe and away from Emi.

"Before that, hold on." She quickly took out her phone out of her pocket and speedily dialed a number. It rang once before someone picked up.

"Hello?"

"Yes, hello Renji. I'm here to report the effects of the Iwashimizu." The regulars stared wide-eyed at the blonde in front of them. "Oshitari Yuushi was the one who sacrificed himself unknowingly for the group."

"And the results?" The sound of scribbling could be heard on the other line.

"He passed out about 17 seconds after he drank it and foamed at the mouth. Oh, and you wouldn't mind if I told the Hyotei boys what was in the Iwashimizu would you?"

"I would not mind, but please call it by its real name."

"Okay. Please tell Inui-san that I would love to help you two out in the future. Goodbye." She shut her phone and swiftly put it into her bag.

"Uhh, Emi? Was that Rikkaidai's Yanagi Renji on the phone?" Shishido asked with a face full of fear.

"Why yes it! How did you know Ryou?" She dramatically gasped. At least Ryou wasn't as ignorant as Gakuto.

"Um… Never mind. So, what was in that drink again?"

"The Iwashimizu's real name is actually Experimental Iwashi Teeming Refreshment. And as the name states, it is made of Iwashi. LOTS of Iwashi." All of the boys blanched when they heard her explanation.

"He drank fish? YUUSHI! I WILL TAKE YOU TO THE HOSPITAL!" Gakuto lamented as he made his way to the genius.

"Gakuto, you are too loud." Oshitari had started to slowly get up off the cement and pant heavily.

"Hmm, interesting. Oshitari Yuushi: birthday October 15th, height: 178 cm, weight: 64 kg, and time taken to recover from the Iwashimizu: 6 minutes and 34 seconds. Ii data." Everyone looked at Emi in consternation. She just sounded like a combined Yanagi Renji and Inui Sadaharu. Geez, those guys were scary when they wanted to be! "I'll have to speak to Renji about this the next time I see him."

"Emi-hime, please stop contacting Yanagi. I do not want to die without going on a date with you or Eri-hime," said Oshitari in a seductive voice, so he could tick off the pompous buchou.

"Nahh, I'm being blackmailed." Emi said in an annoyed tone.

"What? Ore-sama wants to hear why you are being blackmailed." Oshitari did frustrate him, but Yanagi had upset him on a greater level.

"Hahaha… No reason." She softly whistled a tune to feign ignorance.

_Oh? Emi-hime isn't telling us something. And that something seems like it has to do with Atobe._ Oshitari started to think of a plan to trick Emi into telling them and possibly embarrassing her in front of Atobe.

"Emi! I came to walk home with you!" Everyone turned around to see Eri leaning against the door of the tennis courts.

"Hey! Okay, just wait a second. I have to go grab my stuff. Guys, you're all done for today's practice." Emi high-fived Eri before sprinting off toward the main building.

_This is our chance to know how Yanagi is blackmailing her…_ Oshitari thought triumphantly.

"Eri-hime, do you know how Yanagi is blackmailing Emi?"

Eri glared at Oshitari for calling her with a pet name, but when he finished asking the question, she started to laugh hysterically.

"Oh my god! That picture was hilarious! Yanagi and Niou are meant to be feared if they can conjure up such great blackmail!" Eri was practically on the floor trying to breathe but convulsing with laughter.

"A picture? Ore-sama wants to know what this picture is showing," said Atobe in his I'm-better-than-you-so-I-deserve-to-know voice.

"Hahahaha, you are going to love it Kei-chan! Renji gave me a copy of it today!" Eri pulled the zipper down on her bag and took out a small picture. "Here it is!"

When Eri gave the picture to Oshitari, who was eagerly waiting, he began to tremble. This had gotten Atobe's attention. THE poker face wizard was losing his composure over a picture? Oshitari started snickering.

"Hey, let me see Yuushi!" Gakuto popped up behind Yuushi and stole the picture. "OH MY GOD! YOU GUYS HAVE TO SEE THIS!"

The regulars started to crowd around Gakuto to see this interesting picture. Atobe was the only one that waited for the picture to come around. His pride and dignity would not allow for him to fight over something so trivial.

"Glad you like it guys. But you should show Kei-chan. Emi is going to kill me if she sees you guys looking at it." Eri smiled angelically. (A/N: Angelically basically means sadistically.)

"Here you go, Atobe." Shishido brought up the photo to his majesty before laughing in Atobe's face.

When Atobe looked at the picture that was given to him, he started to smirk smugly. The picture showed Atobe's head on Emi's lap, and her hand caressing his face in a loving way. She was smiling genuinely at Atobe who looked like he was sleeping. This was taken at the time when Atobe had "fainted" and Emi had rushed in to see if he was okay. Also, the background had been edited to make it seem as if they were in a field.

"Let me tell you Kei-chan, apparently that didn't take that much editing. The only things that were changed include the background and the position of onee-san's hand when she touched your face. I thought you two went on a secret date or something when I first saw the picture!"

"Oh? Is that so, Eri? Did all of you think the same?" Emi's cold voice froze everyone on spot.

"Oh, Emi-chan? Hahahaha… How long have you been here?" Choutarou chuckled nervously.

"I've been here since you all started passing the picture around. Oh, and fortunately, I found a steel bat on my walk to the classroom, and I brought it back." Emi grinned as she held up the steel bat. (2ManyShoez: Omg, that's what I wrote for one of the characters in my story lolol. Great minds think alike.)

"OH SHOOT! EVERYONE RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!" Gakuto shrieked as everyone started to rush out of the courts. Atobe was the only one who didn't run. He continued to stand by the bleachers with the same smug expression.

"Oi, Monkey King, why aren't you running? I should be coming after you first." She approached Atobe while dragging the metal bat behind her.

"Why would Ore-sama run away? You do not scare Ore-sama, and Ore-sama likes this picture. Maybe Ore-sama should ask Niou and Yanagi how to edit photos like this and if they have any more copies of this." This was the first that Emi blushed so heavily. Atobe had the urge to laugh at her but resisted. She had a weapon at the moment, and he wasn't risking any injuries to to his supposedly godlike face.

"GAHHHH! CURSE YOU, ATOBE KEIGO! CURSE NIOU MASAHARU AND YANAGI RENJI AS WELL! YOU WILL ALL DIE AT MY HANDS!" Even Atobe started to race away when she started to swing the bat around like a maniac.

**~Otaku Corner~**

FlippinWonka: Thank you for reading this story up to this point. Please review! Also for those who are interested at all, Fail4Ninjas is depressed because school is starting and not because 2ManyShoez has gotten so many reviews with only four chapters out so far. Like I said please review and it might just lift my depression. Thanks for reading!


	11. Chapter 11: The Junior Invitationals

**Disclaimer:**

FlippinWonka: Here is the newest chapter of Amai Masquerade Love! Now, before any one starts getting mad at me for not updating; I'm just putting it out there that no one reviewed the last time I did update. I WAS DEVASTATED, HEART-BROKEN, MIS-

TheSpunky(Short)Alchemist: Fail4Ninjas apologizes for any ears that were broken during FlippinWonka's rants. Fortunately, I hit her with a brick so she shouldn't be waking up anytime soon. Please enjoy this chapter and we would appreciate reviews!

**The Junior Invitationals**

**Normal POV**

"Now that everyone has arrived, we will begin the Junior Invitationals Camp!" Hanmaru-sensei said. "You will be put into three groups to train during the next week."

"The three coaches will be: Hanmaru-sensei, Sakaki-sensei, and I." Ryuuzaki-sensei announced. "There are also some freshmen here to help out with the camp."

She gestured over to a group of short people. They all bowed and waved over to the crowd of tennis players.

"Now the lists for the groups are in the entrance hall. After you all settle down, meet up with your respective groups for a quick meeting with your coach. You may proceed." Sakaki-kantoku pointed to the audience with a slight gleam in his eyes.

The tennis players nodded once to the teachers before making their way into the hall.

"Looks like ore-sama and Kabaji is with Hanmaru-sensei ann?" Atobe stated while glancing his eyes over the three lists looking for Emi's name.

(A/N: The groups DO NOT follow the real thing at all. So don't be shocked or sad. Just saying.)

"Nee-san, I'm with Sakaki-kantoku!" Eri said while talking with Emi.

"Good for you Eri! I bet you would get along great with everyone."

By this time, all of the schools that were invited to the camp had already made their way into the hall, and had noticed the two females.

"Hoi~ hoi~! It's Emi-chan!" A voice shouted happily before glomping onto Emi's back.

"Saa~. Try not to kill Emi okay Eiji?" Another voice rang out as Emi was slowly losing consciousness from the lack of air she was getting.

"Ei-chan! Syuusuke! I didn't know you guys were here too!" Emi yelled out as she threw Kikumaru off her back.

"Shouldn't you already know nyaa~? I mean you are related to ochibi and you and buchou are….well…you know…" Kikumaru said sheepishly.

Emi looked at Kikumaru in confusion. "Uh, well Ryoma never tells me anything and Kunimitsu and I haven't talked lately. And what do you mean? Kunimitsu and I are what?"

"Hi Syuusuke, Eiji!" Eri said cheerfully as she quickly rushed into the conversation to save Kikumaru. "Oh, and before you ask Syuusuke, Emi and I are here because we are the team managers of Hyotei and Rikkaidai. Plus, the American people wanted us to participate or something…."

"Ano, Eri-chan, Emi-chan. You two are sort of grabbing everyone's attention right now. Couldn't you two wait to have this chat somewhere else?" A new voice said.

"Akira-chan! I've missed you!" Eri said in an excited tone.

"Thank you Eri-chan, but we should really move this chat somewhere else," Akira said as Emi and Eri looked around.

They saw all of the tennis players with either opens mouths, or widened eyes. There was even a specific narcissist that was ready to wring out a certain redheaded acrobat's neck for hugging Emi.

"Oh~!" Emi and Eri said in unison.

"Well, let's introduce ourselves while we have everyone else's attention ne, onee-san?" Asked Eri.

"Of course!" Emi smiled before jumping onto a chair. "Listen well, guys! My name is Echizen Emi! I'm the king over at Hyotei, and all of you should be grateful to be in my presence. Be awed by my prowess!" Emi added a snap of her fingers, and an Atobe-style hair flip as the tennis players in the room started chuckling.

Emi then jumped off the chair as Eri hopped on. "Hello guys. My name is Echizen Eri, and I'm the manager over at Rikkaidai Fuzoku. Thank you all for taking care of our little cousin Echizen Ryoma." She quickly bowed before stepping off the chair.

The tennis regulars started to clap. "Wait, so why were you two allowed to participate in this camp?" Someone shouted from the crowd.

"I'm sure your coaches will answer all of your questions when you meet up with them." Eri smiled sweetly at the boys as she answered.

"TARUNDORU! EVERYONE GO MEET UP WITH YOUR RESPECTIVE COACHES!" Sanada's voice boomed through the halls.

All of the boys immediately rushed to their meeting places after hearing Sanada's voice, leaving Emi and Eri behind.

"So, onee-san who is your coach?"

"Ryuuzaki-sensei." Emi said nonchalantly as she started walking away.

_Hmm~_ Eri thought as she peered over the list one last time before walking to her own meeting room.

**~Ryuuzaki -sensei's Group~**

"Okay, now that everyone is here, I will tell you your schedules for the next week. Breakfast is at 8:30 every morning, lunch is at 12:30, and dinner is at 6:30. I take it you all know each other so any questions?"

"Oh! ME!" Eri raised her and hand and started jumping up and down.

"Yes Emi?"

"Can we have free time now?" Her eyes started shimmering.

"Sure, why not?"

"YES!" Emi got up from her seat and did a small victory dance.

"Wait Ryuuzaki-sensei! Is it really alright for her to train with us? What if she can't handle the training?" Oishi asked with a worried look.

"Yeah, what happens then?" Momoshiro asked.

"Oishi-senpai, Momo-senpai, mada mada dane." Ryoma sighed as he pulled down his hat.

"Yeah Momo, Oishi! You shouldn't underestimate Emi and Eri!" Eiji said while jumping around.

"Yeah, they are the Masquerade Pair!" Akaya added.

"Wow! You mean that doubles pair that is wicked strong?" Asked Momo as his interest grew.

"Yes, now enough of that! Go outside and meet with me after lunch!" Ryuuzaki-sensei said before leaving the room.

As the boys started filing out of the room, Emi sat there. She looked down at her hands and shut her eyes. _We aren't that strong… _She thought to herself as tears began to flow from her eyes. "This is bad, I need Eri…."

**~Hanmaru-sensei's Group~**

"Welcome children! I am Hanmaru-sensei, and all of you are my lovely students. I know all of you, and your abilities. I also know that every one of you has potential, so always shine." She said as she smiled brightly.

"Ore-sama believes we should skip this meeting and go train na Kabaji?" Atobe stated.

"Hanmaru-sensei turned her gaze to look at Atobe. "Yes, but right now, you are my students. You will follow my rules. Any questions?"

They all nodded their heads as Yagyuu raised his hand.

"If I may ask this, but why are the participants from Rokkaku Chuu and Josei Gakuen missing?"

Hanmaru-sensei sighed. "We are not sure how, but they all ended up with food poisoning. One moment they were fine and they next, they were all aching in pain. My poor students!"

Of course, Hanmaru-sensei didn't notice that guilty looks that passed between Yagyuu and Inui, or the panicked look from Kawamura. It's the return of INUI JUICE!

**~Sakaki-kantoku's Group~**

"With that this meeting is over. Meet me in 30 minutes out on the tennis courts. That is all, you may proceed." As Sakaki-kantoku finished, everyone started to chatter amongst themselves.

"Shinji! I haven't seen you since spring break!" Eri was very excited on seeing everyone again. It had been ages since she had last seen all of her friends.

"I had this feeling you and Emi would be here. It's just like you two to show up unexpectedly and –mumble mumble-."

"Wa~~~h! I'm in the same group as Eri-chan!" Jirou had magically appeared and Oshitari was right there behind him.

"Eri-hime, it is an honor to be in your group." Oshitari said seductively.

"Hahaha stop calling me hime Yuushi or I'm going to get mad at you like I did with Niou." Eri's voice shook a little as she spoke.

"Eri, can you come here for a moment? I need to talk to you." Emi was at the door of the classroom they were in and her eyes were red.

"Emi! I'll go right away." Eri stood up and turned around before adding, "Oshitari, apologize to Sakaki-kantoku for me if I'm not at the tennis courts." Her usual, friendly demeanor had vanished.

"Of course Eri-hi-….I mean Eri."

Ibu, Jirou, and Oshitari watched silently as Eri walked away with Emi. They had their own personal opinions of this scene; one curious, one bewildered, and one with an opinion on the twins' slender legs.

The place where the Junior Invitationals Camp was being held was a gigantic place. There were around twenty bathrooms in total; five on each floor not including the separate floors on the tennis courts. So, to keep from being found, Emi and Eri chose to talk in the deserted fourth floor girls' bathroom.

"Nee-san, are you okay?" Eri had been trying to keep a steady voice.

"They…..I….I...cou-could hear them laughing…." She was trying to stop the sounds and images from resurfacing in her mind. She shut her eyes and tried covering her ears with her hands.

A few tears had fell down Emi's cheeks. Her breathing pattern had begun to change.

Eri was forcing herself to watch Emi at this point. She couldn't tear her eyes away from Emi; after all it was her fault that Emi was like this. A silent tear rolled down Eri's cheek as well. She wouldn't be able to keep this strong façade for long.

"E-E-Eri, ge-get me…..Kunimitsu…I need Kuni-Kunimitsu." By this point, Emi had fallen onto her knees. Her palms we pressed against the cool bathroom tiles. Eri rushed straight to Emi's side.

"Emi, I'll call Kunimitsu right away. Please hold on, he's in Germany right now. He's with father. He'll be here soon." Eri crouched over and helped Emi stand on her legs. "Come on, let's go tell Sakaki-kantoku and Ryuuzaki-sensei that we won't be going to train today."

Emi slowly nodded her head. She didn't have much confidence on what Eri was saying at the moment, but she could figure out that Eri was trying to make her feel better. She was feeling very light-headed at the moment, and nothing was making sense to her.

This was her curse. This was her nightmare. Eri's attempts to make her feel better would never work. She would never be able to get over her trauma.

Emi looked back to Eri who had been frantically looking for her cell phone.

_I'm sorry Eri…this might be our downfall._

**~Otaku Corner~**

2ManyShoez: Why do I get the job of nursing FlippinWonka until she regains consciousness? I mean shouldn't the Alchemist do it? She was the one who knocked Wonka out…..

GreenMamushi: Ohhhhhh I see FlippinWonka is sleeping! I'm going to draw on her face with a marker! MWAHAHAHA!

TheSpunky(Short)Alchemist: Uhh…..please review this story even though we all hate FlippinWonka for not updating frequently…. And please remember, there is never anything illegal going on in the Fail4Ninjas house….


	12. Chapter 12: Super Black Spicy Gum

**Disclaimer:**

FlippinWonka: I'M SORRY FOR THE WICKED LATE CHAPTER GUYS! FAIL4NINJAS HAS BEEN SUPER BUSY WITH SCHOOL BUT NOW IT'S SUMMER AND WE ALL HOPE TO UPDATE MORE!

2ManyShoez: HAHAHAHA like you're ever going to catch up to my 92 reviews.

FlippinWonka: Well now that my spirits are crushed, let's continue on with the story?

**Super Black Spicy Gum**

**Eri POV**

I sighed tiredly as I walked down the corridor. It's been about three days since Emi has been locked up in our room and she still is refusing to talk to anybody. All she wants is her Tezuka. I really would love to roll my eyes at this. I just don't get why Tezuka Kunimitsu is the only person who can calm Emi down even during her emotional times. I love my twin so much, yet why can't I help her during her crucial times? I sighed again as I dropped my tennis bag next to me. I'm only 15 yet I've been feeling so much stress lately. Maybe I should pretend to be how I was before the match. Maybe I should be like my old self…

I quickly shook my head to get rid of that idea. I had changed to benefit Emi, and will not go back until she is cured. That is my resolution.

"Oi, Eri. Where is Emi? Ore-sama has been looking for her for quite some time now." I, again sighed, as a frustrated looking Atobe Keigo strided toward me. This ungrateful, egocentric bastard seriously needed to learn that Emi needs her space. I don't like Atobe at all. He doesn't even remember Emi from six years ago. He is just so stuck up to realize his own mistakes.

I grumbled a little bit before bringing up my professional voice and face. "I apologize, but Emi is sick in bed currently. No one is allowed to see her until she gets better, but I will gladly pass on a message." Yeah, right.

Atobe dramatically sighed as he looked at me with disappointment in his eyes. What the fuck is he disappointed about? "Very well then. Ore-sama will see her later. Oh, and Eri-hime, do not smile in such an uptight manner in front of ore-sama."

I cursed him in every single language that I knew and glared at him until I was sure he felt the glare burning holes onto his back. That little prick can just go and die. He thinks he's better than everyone just because he's richer than us. So what if his company is bigger? We actually treat people in ours! I need to punch him in the face at least once.

As my aura turned to one of malice, I head a soft melody coming from my bag.

_Kono sora no tsuzuku hate ni wa_

_Daisuki na hito ga matteru_

_Omoi wa koko ni aru_

_Kimi mo kitto miagetru_

_Dokomademo tsuzuku kono sora_

_Honto ni taisetsu na kotow o mune ni_

_(Taisetsu na Hito e – Marui Bunta)_

I quickly fished my blue cell phone from my bag before pressing the talk button and bringing the phone up to my ear.

"Hello?"

"Eri, its Kunimitsu. Your father gave me his permission to leave yesterday morning so I should be able to arrive at the Junior Invitationals campus in about two hours."

"Thank you Kunimitsu. Emi's condition will no doubt get better once you come back."

"Yes, and I'm supposed to be Ryuuzaki-sensei's replacement."

"Perfect. She's in your group too. So I'll meet you outside when you get here so send me a text okay? Bye."

I hung up the phone before Tezuka could answer. I would have definitely snapped at him if I had stayed on the phone for even a moment longer. I seriously needed a nice long vacation away from everything and everyone. Oh, but maybe not Marui. He's cool.

But I have to thank Tezuka properly later. It's my fault that he has to come from Germany just to comfort Emi. It's my fault that we lost everything…

I slowly trudged over to the staircase. I would have to go get Emi to look at least presentable for when Tezuka came. The thought of her being happy made me smile. At least one good thing would come out of this stupid camp. So many bad things have happened like Akaya getting hurt, Ryuuzaki-sensei being sent to the hospital, and Emi's condition acting up. So much stress.

I started to walk up the stairs as I carefully held onto the railing. Maybe I had been overworking myself lately. My head started to feel dizzy. A wave of nausea washed over me as my hand slipped from the railing and caused me to fall backward. My eyes widened in horror as my body slowly fell to the awaiting ground.

"ERI!" I saw red as I shut my eyes closed and waited for the painful impact that surprisingly never came. I opened one of my eyes to see that Marui Bunta had caught me. The sudden fall had shaken me up, but I smiled warmly at my savior.

"Marui, thank you for saving me." With my feet now planted firmly on the ground, I stood up to face the blushing Marui.

"It's no problem Eri-chan." Aww his face was turning such a pretty shade of pink! "Oh but Eri-chan, you look extremely tired. Are you okay?" Damn him and his good observation skills.

"I'm fine." I smiled brightly at him just to prove my point as I walked to pick up my fallen tennis bag. "Thank you Marui, but I shall take my leave now." I turned back around to face the staircase as a hand pulled me back.

"Wait Eri. Before you go, close your eyes and open your mouth." I looked at him questioningly. Is he being serious? I looked at him in disbelief before complying.

Some shuffling sounds were heard until I couldn't hear anything. I almost thought that he had left until I felt something extremely spicy in my mouth. I snapped my eyes open to see a calm Marui smiling at me. What the hell did he put in my mouth?

"Hehehe you looked tired so I gave you a piece of my super black spicy gum! I always chew it when I'm tired but I need to stay awake." This guy is such an angel! I smiled softly before turning to face him fully.

"Thank you." I paused for effect. "For everything." I went on my toes and gave him a peck on the cheek before running up the stairs and straight to my room. I opened the door forcefully to see Emi still in bed.

I sighed again at the sight of my sister. "Onee-san, please wake up. Kunimitsu is coming and you have to look presentable." I crept over to Emi as I shook her shoulders.

A groggy voice answered me back. "Kunimitsu is here?"

"No, not yet but he will be here soon." I looked at my sister as she slowly got up off the bed. I looked at how she looked in surprise. Her hair and clothes were a mess! "Actually, take a shower Emi. Now."

She looked at me in confusion before looking at herself in a mirror. She gasped in horror before rushing into the bathroom to take a shower. I laughed inwardly at Emi's actions before collapsing onto the bed. I was slowly drifting off into sleep but suddenly jerked forward as I remembered something. I KISSED MARUI BUNTA! Why would I do such a thing? But that must mean….could I have feelings for him? (A/N: Yeah I know she's dense…)

I hadn't noticed that Emi was out of the shower, and I was surprised to see what she was wearing. She was wearing a sundress and heels? Why would she have those at a tennis camp?

"Onee-san, where'd you get the clothes?" I hesitantly asked. I didn't want her to say that a certain narcissist got them for her. It makes me shudder just thinking about his infatuation with Emi.

"Oh Eri I'm not that sure. I looked into the closet and then saw tons of pretty dresses!" I sighed and suspiciously made my way over to the said closet. And sure enough, it was full of dresses. I glanced around the closet a few times before noticing a note pinned to one of the more elegant dresses. I began to read it out loud.

"_To my fairest Emi and Eri,_

_I wish you the best of luck at the competition. Perhaps you'll have a chance to wear these dresses to you dance._

_Love,_

_Father and Mother"_

Trust Onee-san to not notice the group of men who had probably put these dresses in our closet.

"Okay let's go Eri!" I looked back at Emi to see that she even added some necklaces to the look.

I looked at my watch before replying. "Okay he should be here soon."

I shook my head at how Emi was acting. Okay maybe I was a little bit jealous that Tezuka could make her so happy when even I can't. We walked out of the room when an announcement had started to come on from the speakers.

"Hello commoners." We both glared at the speaker. "Ore-sama has been kind enough to host a dance that will be held at this camp. Be grateful. It will be held in three days and will be a formal event. That means to wear proper clothing." A faint 'ore-sama no bigi ni yoi na' could be heard before the speakers were turned off.

I smirked at Emi as she smirked back at me. Oh this dance was going to be so much fun. We continued to casually walk down the stairs and through the building's doors. As I walked, I couldn't hear Emi's footsteps so I turned around to see her crouched down before the glass doors. She had been in her room for the past few days so I guess it is natural for the sun to be a little too bright for her to handle. I was about to head back to get Emi before I saw a yellow cab come to a stop right outside of the building. Tezuka is here!

I quickly rushed over to the cab and opened the door for Tezuka. He stoically (bastard) stepped out of the cab as I yelled to Emi. "EMI! KUNIMITSU IS HERE!" And before I could even get out of the way, a blur rushed right by me.

"Kunimitsu!" Emi had somehow gone from scared of the sun to ecstatic. A smile slowly crept up to my lips as I started walking back inside. These two needed their alone time.

"Babe?" I narrowed my eyes slightly to look at the huge crowd of boys that were trying to hear what Emi and Tezuka were talking about.

"Ore-sama wants to know why Emi-hime is hugging Tezuka." Sigh, such an arrogant little fool. He needs to be taught a lesson. I grinned deviously as I thought of the perfect answer.

"Why wouldn't they hug Atobe-san? They are dating after all!" All in all I was pretty happy with my accomplishments today. I made Emi extremely happy, and I made Atobe faint. Oh the joys of being me.

**~Otaku Corner~**

FlippinWonka: I successfully updated a chapter! I'm so happy! Oh and also, to clear up a matter of confusion, Atobe is richer than Emi and Eri. Thanks and please review!


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